Humanity's Protector
by Got a jar of dirt
Summary: Dr. Yeager found out about the plan to breach the wall of Maria and took action. He decided to place the power to save the human race in Eren's hands at a much earlier age. How will the story change when Eren became humanities protector from the first breach? Read and find out!
1. Chapter 1

"Daddy?" said a five-year-old Eren to his father. His father had brought him down into the mystery basement, as he liked to call it, and it wasn't what he was thinking.

Body parts floated in jars, blood splattered the floor and walls, chains hung from the ceiling and a cold metal table at the center. The stench was indescribable; it reeked of stale air and decay.

Eren had no idea how they couldn't smell up in their home but it had been a long walk down.

"Daddy!" Eren called out again from his laying position on the metal table. His father was in the room but his back was to him. He was leaning over some books and jars as he filled a syringe.

"Eren..." Dr. Yeager said breathlessly with tears gathering at the corners of his eyes. He didn't want to do this. He would like nothing more than just to bring his son back upstairs and tell him this was just some crazy nightmare but he couldn't.

He couldn't for humanity's sake.

Dr. Yeager, like everyone else, was not allowed outside of the walls. However, unlike many, he didn't let that stop him. He would periodically leave for voyages on the other side the wall of Maria to "gather herbs and medicines." He would then leave the safety of the wall viva secret tunnels

In truth he was gathering information about the titans; he was working on everything from their origins and physiology to if it were possible to coexist with them and if not, better ways to kill them. During his last expedition, he had come across a village of humans.

At first, he had been dumbfounded and amazed; these people were able to survive outside the walls protection? It was amazing! He had planned to go down and greet them; possibly even bring them to the walls protection in exchange for their secrets. He could only imagine how overjoyed the Recon Corps would be to have them.

He had been careful in his approach; it didn't seem like a wise idea to barge into their home right then and there. He made it look like an accident; he walked on the outskirts of their village and was picked up by the sentries they had posted around the village. It had been sheer dumb luck that he didn't run into one the first time he neared the village.

The inhabitants of the village were harsh and cruel, though, in a way, he could understand. They lived spartan lives; only having the bare minim to live and were ready to fight for or flee their homes at the sound of a hat drop. They lived in small log houses, just big enough to house a small family.

He had been treated roughly but fairly. While their true enemy were the titans, suspicion was second nature to them and they interrogated him thoroughly. A few of them spoke his language, he assumed that he was not the first to stumble across their camp, and he told them about where he was from and who he was.

He detected some anger when he told them that he was from behind the wall. Dr. Yeager assumed that they had tried to make contact at some point but for reasons unknown to him, they were rejected. He wouldn't say that they hated those behind the wall; more of a jealous anger.

However, they had been overjoyed when he told them he was a doctor. A number of their small population had become ill with yellow fever and they didn't have anyone with sufficient medical experience to combat the illness.

He agreed to save their village and he did so in days. He had dozens of the villagers go out and gather the needed herbs and spent the next day preparing the cure. It had been exhausting work but it was time well spent because when the ordeal was finished, he had gained many of the villagers trust and, more importantly, their respect.

They urged him to stay with them, they never knew when another illness would strike them, and he agreed for a time.  
He spent several weeks their and learned many things from the village and how they survived so long without the wall's protection.

At some point a new type of warrior had been created; a shifter between human and titan. From what he could tell; everyone in the village received an injection but only a few seemed to receive the titan powers. Those select few were then declared warriors and were used to protect the village; sometimes even against their will.

The longer he stayed; the more he noticed that they wanted to keep him away from the central building. The signs were subtle; changing the topic, leading him away from it, telling him it was some old building. However, instead of nipping his curiosity in the bud, they caused it to bloom.  
After everyone was asleep, he snuck into the building and learned what they were hiding.

He learned that they were trying to create shifter's that had the ability to break through the wall's and essentially wipe out humanity. From what he read, they didn't seem to be doing it out of ill intent but rather they seemed to be looking for something.

Upon learning this information; he fled the village with their information on how to turn a man into a titan as well as all they had learned about them.

That is how he found himself in the position he was in.

He couldn't go to the government because firstly he had no proof, that's if they didn't kill him before he had a chance to talk. Even if they didn't and he did have proof; would they believe him? A single man over the fact their wall hadn't been breached in its existence?

He didn't think so.

"Dad! Why did you bring me down here?" Eren asked form his seat on the cold metal table, no panic in his tone nor fear; just confusion and a hint of nervousness. While he trusted his father more that anyone else; Eren thought this was pretty weird. Maybe it was some odd game? Whatever it was; he wanted it to stop or for something to happen.

Dr. Yeager turned to his son as he readied his syringe. Eren saw this and cringed. He hated shots more than anything else! As Geriah approached. Eren turned away stubbornly and kept his arms away from his father; if he knew that he was coming down here for a shot than he'd rather not be down here at all.

"Eren...," Dr. Yeager began softly as he placed a hand on his son's shoulder, "this is going to hurt a bit but you must endure it." he said as he gave Eren's arm a soft pull.

"I don't want a shot! They hurt!"

Geriah, being a doctor, was use to children avoiding shots and knew exactly how to get them to listen.

"Eren, is you take this shot, then something amazing will happen," Dr. Yeager said in a awe filled tone. Eren's interest was piqued at that and he turned ever so slightly but Geriah knew his son was hooked.

""What'll happen?"

"This shot will give you super powers Eren!"

"Really?!" Eren turned sharply and gave his father a look full of wounder and eagerness. Dr. Yeager nodded, "it will but you mustn't misuse this power Eren. Very soon bad people are going to come and break down the wall and you have to protect everyone. That is what this power is for; to protect!" He said as he readied his syringe.

Eren nodded as he stretched out his arm, "I promise dad!" the child said not even wincing when the needle broke skin.

Seven years later

"What's wrong heretic? Why don't you punch me to prove me wrong?" demanded Armin's current bully as he shoved him against a brick wall.

Armin looked up, after a quick sweep he counted 8 kids. "Because if I do, then I've sunk to your level! Plus, there's no way for you to prove me wrong so isn't you beating me admitting that you are!" he yelled as he pushed against the hand pinning him. Even if he did hit back than they all would gang up on him.

"Why you little!" The lead bully said as he raised his fist.

"Stop!" yelled a voice from down the street; the bullies and Armin looked over and saw it was Eren.

"Oh shit! It's Eren!" Exclaimed a chubby kid towards the back of the group.

Despite being so young; Eren Yeager had already developed a reputation for being the strongest kid in Shiganshina District. He fought and took down dozens of bullies, and if rumors could be believed, adults as well.

He was average height for a 12 year old and had features that hinted at a handsome face when he grew but the most notable feature was his practically glowing green eyes.

"I'm so sick of hearing about this kid! Let's kick his ass!" the lead bully, who was 14, yelled as he dropped Armin and charged Eren and six of his eight followers charged with him.

Eren smirked as he slightly tilted his head to the left, causing the bully's fist to miss before he planted a fist in his stomach, causing him to fold like a piece of paper.

He had just gotten into a fight with his mother about joining the Recon Corps so he was happy to blow off some steam.  
Eren didn't slow down as the lead bully dropped to the ground holding his stomach; he just punched the next one in the nose while the first was staring in shock. That got the others moving as they all rushed Eren.

Eren dodged fists and kicks with ease from the four teenagers; they were so clumsy and slow to him. Fighting was something that came natural to Eren. He was always faster and stronger than people twice his age; to him, everyone was moving in slow motion. When you added that with the lessons Hannes would sometimes give him about hand to hand combat; Eren was practically unbeatable for the kids of the town.

His father was the one that organized the lessons at first. Hannes had stayed for dinner and his father mentioned that Eren was always getting into fights, something that his mother agreed with whole heartily, and, to everyone's shock, asked Hannes to give Eren a few pointers. His mother had been against it but she relented after some pressure from Eren.

Now he, Mikasa, she refused to be left out, and Armin, he caved into peer preassure, got combat lessons from the old guard.

Finally getting bored with the clumsy strikes; he decided to end this quickly.

He punched the closest boy in the temple, causing him to drop like a brick, before ducking under a wild haymaker and delivering a devastating uppercut; the teenager actually caught air. One tried to tackle him but he was stopped short by a foot being planted in his face.

_'Now for the last one-'_ Eren started to think but was stopped by a piece of wood breaking over his head.

The last boy, fearful of the demon in human skin, had grabbed a broom stick and hit Eren as hard as he could. He thought it worked too when he saw blood running down the side if his face.

He was wrong.

Eren looked up with blood covering the left side of his face. "That hurt," was all he said but it was enough for the last boy to take off running.

Eren looked over at his friend, who was gazing at him with amazement, and saw the other two bullies had also took off running.

He tsked to himself as he walked over to his friend and placed a hand on his head in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding. "Hey, you okay?" he asked as he leaned down and offered his free hand.

Armin looked at the hand before refusing the offer. He always hated how weak he was and didn't want a reminder that his best friend was so much stronger than him. He hated it when Eren treated him like some frail object and wanted nothing more than to fight on his own.

"Eren...?" Came a feminine voice from the street next to them, both boys looked over and saw it was Mikasa. "Hey! Mom sent you after me, huh?" Eren deduced as she approached.

Mikasa surveyed the damage; five boys on the ground either unconscious or groaning in pain. "Yes...you've been fighting again. Your mother will be mad," she announced as she examined Eren's head.

Eren let her; she was going to do it either way, before saying, "They were bulling Armin! I didn't have a choice."

She simply sighed at Eren's careless tone; his mother had just asked her to look out for Eren to make sure he didn't get over his head one day and she could already tell that it was going to be a tough promise to keep. Eren always did things like this; getting into massive brawls from protecting people that couldn't protect themselves or getting himself in very dangerous places to save an animal or to do a favor.

While she admired Eren for these traits, it was troublesome to constantly be dragged into whatever mess he got himself into but she would always pull him out of it.

"Let's go to the river so you can wash your face." She said softly as she led the way.

* * *

"So how did your parents take it?" Armin asked after he finished explaining why he was being bullied this time.

"My mom freaked out but my dad seemed okay with it," Eren answered as he scrubbed.

_"Why do you want to join the Recon Corps?" Eren's father asked in a polite tone._

_"Because I don't want to die without knowing what's on the other side of the Wall! Plus, the Recon Corps are the best of the best! I want to join them so I can protect people from the titans when they break down the wall!" Eren stated passionately._

_Eren's father leaned back in his chair as he pondered what his son had just said. While he was not surprised at his son's words, he had often proved himself as a selfless martyr and he had several theories as to why Eren acted the way he did and why his body was so much stronger than his peers._

_It was likely that Eren had subconsciously remembered his words and Eren had been molded by them in ways that neither of them would ever know. As for his strength and speed; it could be several things._

_There was the possibility that he made a slight mistake with the doses and it altered Eren's body. Instead of dying, or becoming a deformed half titan half-human monster, his body was simply strengthened and enhanced._

_However, Dr. Yeager thought it was much more likely that it was because Eren was so young when he injected him. The members of the village weren't injected until their early teens from what he had read. It was likely that because of Eren's early injection his body had adapted to it in unexpected ways._

_Dr. Yeager said none of this however. He simply leaned back in his chair, thinking that humanity will be safe in Eren's hands before announcing that his ship had arrived before standing._

_"Dear!" Eren's mother began but was stopped by a gently raised hand. "Carla...there's nothing stronger than human curiosity and the will to protect others," was all he said but before he walked out the door._

"That's a surprise," Armin said as he looked up at the sky, "you're right though. There's no way to know if the wall will last forever. Just because it stood for a hundred years doesn't mean it couldn't fall today."

As if to answer Armin's words, a flash of lighting and an earth tremor sent the children sprawling.

"What was that?" Eren shouted as he helped Mikasa to her feet. Eren, not the only one wanting an answer to that question, saw a group of adults running by. Grabbing Mikasa's hand, he followed with Armin close behind.

A second later, they were in a clearing with a few dozen adults all staring blankly at the wall, "What is everyone..." Eren began but trailed off when he saw it.

A hand.

A hand that belonged to a _titan_.

"It's them...," he said breathlessly. A whirlwind of emotions were swirling in Eren; awe, terror, confusion, disbelief but the one that towered over the rest was the feeling of validation.

It was messed up and almost sick but it felt kinda good knowing that everyone was wrong and he was right.  
That feeling soon vanished once the colossal titan kicked a hole in the wall.

Debris was sent flying throughout the district and winds so strong that men and women were blown away came from the gaping hole in the wall. Those that weren't crushed all turned and ran, even more so when they saw that titans had breached the wall.

"We have to run!" Armin shouted at his friends but he only saw Eren slowly walking towards the wall.

"My...my house it that way...mom..." he muttered before breaking off in a sprint with Mikasa only a few steps behind him.

"You guys!" Armin began in a desperate attempt for them to run away with him but he stopped when he saw how badly his hands were shaking.

"It's all over...titans have invaded."

* * *

Eren pushed past running adults and people crying over their crushed loved ones.

_'My house is fine! It'll be there like it always is and I'll just grab mom then we can get out of here!'_ Eren thought over and over, almost as if it were a desperate prayer or mantra.

He turned the corner, like he did every other day when he went home, and slowed to a stop when he saw it.  
The piece of rubble that crushed his home.

"Mom...MOM!" He shouted as he ran to his demolished home; maybe his mom was okay? Maybe she was out of the house and was looking for them?!

As Eren approached he heard someone weakly say, "...Eren?" Moving small bits of rubble, with the help of Mikasa, he dug out his mother and saw she was pinned under the edge of their house.

"Mikasa! You grab that side!" Eren ordered as he began to lift with everything he had. Skin tore on his hands but he didn't care as long as he lifted this stupid debris off of his mother. He didn't even look over when he heard the heavy footsteps of titans entering the district.

"Titans are coming in. Eren! Take Mikasa and run!" Carla, Eren's mother, ordered.

"I know that! I want to run so hurry up and get out!" Eren shouted in response as he just pulled harder. However, even his superior strength couldn't lift an entire house.

"My legs have been crushed; I can't run even if you do get me out!" Carla yelled at her stubborn son.

While she did adore his selfless traits, she refused for him to die on her behalf.

"Then I'll just carry you!" Eren yelled with tears in his eyes.

"Just listen to me for once Eren!" Carla roared. "Get out of here! At this rate all three of us will die!"

Eren just continued to lift as did Mikasa.

Carla cried as she watched helplessly as her child and Mikasa refused her final order and stayed. She felt sick to her stomach but she couldn't help but to feel proud of the two. There were few who would stay at the risk of being eaten by titans: even less so knowing that it was futile.

As if to answer her final prayers she saw Hannes jump down with his 3D gear. "Hannes," she called out, "take the kids and run!"

Hannes knelt down before giving her a confident smirk. "Don't take me so lightly Carla. I'll rescue the three of you," he said.

However, as he approached, he felt the true terror of the titans. The world faded until it was just the two of them; the titan just grinned at him and he felt his legs lock up and freeze on the spot. He felt the difference in their strength and he fled from it.

He grabbed Eren and Mikasa and ran.

Eren was too shocked at first. _'Did he already kill it?'_ he thought at first before rage filled him when he realized that wasn't the case. "What the hell are you doing?! We have to save mom-" he screamed but stopped when he saw the titan approaching his crippled mother.

Eren felt terror and self-loathing replace the rage.

What was the point of being the strongest kid in Shiganshina District if he couldn't protect anyone? What was the point of being so strong if he couldn't protect one fucking person; his mother no less?

No; that's bullshit! He wasn't going to let his mother die like this! He didn't care if it were a titan or a god; he'd kick anyone's ass that tried to hurt his family!

Eren broke Hannes' grip on him and broke into a sprint towards the kneeling titan; just mere feet away from picking up his mother.

"EREN!" Mikasa screamed as she franticly tried to break out of the grip as well. Hannes just stood there shocked; how was it that he was too terrified of the titan to fight it but a mere child was running straight at it? Was he really that big of a coward or was Eren just that crazy and brave?

The titan removed the debris that blocked it from its meal; however before he had a chance to eat it, it saw a flash of light out of the corner of its eye. Curious, he turned slightly to see what it was but its sight was blocked by a titan-sized fist hitting it in the nose.

Carla, Mikasa, and Hannes all gaped at the massive titan that now stood in Eren's place. It was a 15 meter class and while bearing some semblance to Eren; there were many aspects that changed. His hair grew to about shoulder length and his eyes became long and thin. His nose and ears became more prominent and pointed and instead of lips, he had two rows of teeth. Also, unlike many titans, Eren's body was made of lean muscle and defined lines instead of being chubby and fat.

"...Eren...?" Mikasa breathed as she slowly went over the events at happened mere seconds ago. Eren had run at the titan, he looked like he bit his hand, a blinding flash of light, and now he was a titan.

Carla looked in awe and fear at her son. Could she even say that anymore? Was this..this...this _titan_ her beloved son?  
As if sensing her doubts, Eren looked down at his mother. Carla's breathing hitched as the titan knelt down and picked her up. She almost started screaming but stopped when she realized that he wasn't going to eat her.

Hannes watched numbly as the huge titan slowly walked its (his?) way to them as it cradled Carla in its hand like an adult would carry a precious child. He couldn't even move as the titan knelt down again and presented the terrified woman to him to carry.

Mikasa used Hannes shock to slip out of his grasp. Looking up she said, "Don't worry Eren. We'll keep her safe." As she picked up her adoptive mother with the help of a shell shocked Hannes. She already knew what Eren intended.  
Much to everyone's surprise, Eren nodded before returning to his full height.

The three merely gazed in wonder as Eren turned back to the titan that almost ate his mother.

Eren walked calmly towards the recovering titan; there were hundreds of questions racing through his mind. How did he become a titan? Where did this power come from? When did he get it? Those were just a few.

However, there were a few questions that he already had answers for. He knew what this power was to be used for.

This power, whether it was a curse or a blessing, was to be used to protect. He couldn't tell how he knew or why, but he knew with the very essence of his soul that he had this power to protect.

He now had the power to protect his mother, Mikasa, Hannes, Armin, and so many more.

Now he had the power to protect everyone.

The smiling titan stood up as it faced Eren. It almost looked confused why one of its own was hitting it. Then it smelled the newcomer.

Human.

The titan lightly jogged at its new meal as Eren got in his fighting stance.

* * *

_"Hey!" Eren exclaimed as he approached a member of the Recon Corps. The female member looked down at the 7-year-old boy that was gazing at her like some sort of super hero. "Oh, what can I do for you little boy?" she asked._

_She loved kids almost as much as she did experimenting on titans._

_"How do you guys kill titans? I've asked everyone in the garrison but they won't tell me! They just say that I don't need to know cuz I'll never see one," Eren pouted._

_"But you think you will?"_

_"Yeah! One day I'm gonna join the Recon Corps too so I wanna start practicing soon."_

_The woman froze for a second before patting the boy on the head, "You are? Well, I guess I'd better tell you." Her hand lowered to the boys neck. "Right here," she traced the outline of the bundle of nerves in the back of a titans neck, "you have to cut it out with your swords so they die."_

_Eren nodded. "That sounds pretty tough. Guess that's why you guys are so awesome though."_

* * *

_'I have to rip out the base of the neck.'_ Eren thought as he engaged the titan. The smiling titan, Eren dubbed him Smiley, tried to grab him in a bear hug but Eren ducked under the arms and stepped behind him.

_'It's like fighting a child!'_ he thought in shock. Those bullies a few hours ago could fight better than this!

He felt anger burn in his chest. Was that it? The only reason the Titans pushed humanity to the brink of extinction, why they were forced to live in this cage, was because they were fucking taller than them?!

Eren kicked out Smiley's legs, causing him to kneel, before sinking his teeth into the back of its neck and tearing out a huge portion of it. After he dropped Smiley, Eren let out a defiant roar before searching for his next enemy.

* * *

"Was...Was that really Eren?" Carla asked from her position on Hannes' back. Her tone was panicky but she seemed to be holding herself together quite well given the situation.

"Yes," was all Mikasa said as she still stared off in the direction Eren had gone. She was running next to Hannes; he couldn't use his 3D gear because of the extra weight and he couldn't hold Mikasa. She caught a glimpse of him a few moments ago and he seemed to be winning against 3 titans at once.

It was weird; Eren seemed to be having the time of his life.

"If that's Eren...then this stays a secret," she said in a tone that would tolerate no argument. She looked over at Mikasa who nodded but she received no answer from Hannes.

"Hannes...," she said softly, "if the Kings government find about Eren then they'll kill him or experiment on him." When she still received no answer, she decided to aim low.

"Hannes, my husband saved your wife's life," Hannes flinched, "my husband saved the last of your family and nursed you and her back to health. It was my husband that got you you're job with the garrison. It is because of my family that you have the life you have instead of being dead in a ditch...so please..._please_ keep this secret to protect my son." She begged.

Hannes sighed. "Okay. This'll stay between us...as an added measure I'll make sure no one finds out it's him," he said; he owed the Yeager family his life and then some.

If he could repay them by simply keeping his mouth shut, then he would.

"Thank you...thank you so much."

* * *

Eren dodged a sloppy grab before retaliating with a kick to the knee, shattering it, before biting into the titans now exposed neck. Eren was surprised at how easy this was. He only had any trouble with a group of them and that was because of the confined spaces.

He didn't want to accidentally kill someone in their home.

He had already saved around 100-150 hundred people directly and an untold amount indirectly.

After he dispatched yet another titan, he scanned for more. It was lucky he did because he saw someone in 3D gear rapidly approaching him and she was looking for blood.

She hooked on to the building next to him and turned to get the perfect angle to slice open the nape of his neck. As she drew near, Eren panicked and ducked. Hanji sailed past over head and landed gracefully on a building wall.

Hanji frowned at the titan, "hold still! This'll only hurt for a second!" she scolded as it the fifteen meter titan was a child. As she readied her blades for a second attack, Eren returned to his full height.

_'I've seen her before,_' Eren thought as he took a step back. While he didn't recognize the woman, he did recognize the wings of freedom on her forest green cloak. This woman was a member of the Scouting Legion and that meant she was a certified titan killer, and right now he was a titan.

Hanji launched into her second attack, becoming nothing but a blur in Eren's eye. However, Eren's sharp ears heard her shoot by his head, the sound could be compared to a bullet wizzing by your ear, and she was rapidly closing the distance to slice open Eren's neck.

Not having time to dodge, he threw back his hand and covered the nape of his neck; instinctively knowing that was where his real body was. Hanji's blades sliced into the titan's hands, almost severing it but that wasn't what she was thinking about.

_'it knows about it's weakness!' _she thought in shock but she recovered from it in a instant. She hooked onto a nearby wall to swing around but it was interrupted by Eren trying to catch her. He wasn't trying to eat her, he just wanted her to stop attacking him!

However, as you probably figured, Hanji didn't know this.

Twisting in midair, she shot her hooks into the titans forearm and reeled in her wire but she was forced to retract it all the way when Eren's other hand tried to grab it. she fell a few feet before back flipping, _'he's not giving me an opening,'_ she thought to herself as she hooked into it's thigh.

Eren mentally growled in annoyance as he continued to fail to stop Hanji from attacking him. He was wasting time with this game of cat and mouse and people were dying every second because of it! Eren's eyes tracked the rapidly moving soldier, looking for a pattern like Hannes taught him to. She dodged another swipe before sending another hook into his thigh and he found it.

After he prevented her from getting behind him, she always back flipped and retreated a few feet. Eren timed it perfectly and reached out and snagged the wire as she went to retreat; causing Hanji to jerk violently.

Eren raised the woman up, hanging upside down by her wire, until she was levled with his eyes.

"Oh, so you're going to eat me big fella?" she asked as she fixed her glasses, not sounding like someone who could be seconds away from death in the slightest. The action caused Eren to remember her. It was the woman who had told him how to kill titans!

Eren looked around quickly to make sure that there weren't any titans in the area before setting her down, surprising her.

Hanji looked at the muscular titan in confusion and awe; the entire time it had been proving itself to be several legues ahead of it's brethren! It was an abnormal unlike any she had ever seen, she couldn't let an oprotunity like this slip out her fingers!

"Hey! Why aren't you going to eat me? Do I not look tasty?" she called out to Eren's back. He saw some titans a few blocks down but stopped when he heard the woman shouting at him. Was she crazy? Why didn't she just get out of here before titans showed up.

...oh...

Eren looked back at Hanji; causing her to take a step back. Her 3D gear had been slightly damaged by Eren yanking it and she wouldn't be able to repair it in time to get away. She was actually starting to wounder if getting his atention after trying to kill it was a good idea.

Eren, thinking the same thing, walked back and stood in front of her. Hanji grinned nervously at the titan. While she was reckless with her life and even laughed it off when she almost died, she did value her life and didn't want to die before she could solve the mystery of the titans.

Eren slowly raised his hand until his palm was even with the rooftop and he just stared at Hanji. Every second she wasted was a second he could be using to kill titans.

Hanji looked at the hand in surprise and puzzlement before looking back up at Eren's piercing green eyes. "You won't eat me will you?"

Eren shook his head no causing Hanji's jaw to drop. "You understand me?! Oh that's simply amazing!" she shouted as she jumped on the outstretched hand without a second thought.

Eren raised her and let her hop on to his shoulder where she grabbed his hair for support; all the while asking questions to her new favorite titan.

"So what are you doing here if you're not eating humans? Did you tag along just to see what's up? Is not eating humans apart of your abnormality? Do you-" Hanji was cut off by a titan cutting in their path.

Eren got in his fighting stance as the titan screamed at him, a cry of dominance which surprised Hanji for she had never seen that, before running at him. Eren let him close in as Hanji jumped off his shoulder and hung by Eren's hair. When the titan closed in and went for a shove, Eren threw a broad haymaker and hit the titan in the side of the face.

Much to Hanji's surprise, the head went flying and hit another titan in the stomach almost 500 meters away.

"So you came here to kill titans?! That's fucking fantastic! We can really use the help!" she shouted as she settled back down on his shoulder.

They continued for almost half an hour; Hanji asking questions and even describing some of her experiments while Eren saved people from the titans, some from titan's hands, before they had to separate.

"Oh, over there! There's some of my squad mates!" she said to Eren as she pointed to a small group of people on a rooftop. "HEY YOU GUYS! I MADE A FRIEND!" she yelled and got their attention.

As they openly gaped at the fact their squad leader was riding on the shoulder of a _fucking titan_, Eren approached them and offered a hand Hanji to get down. When she touched the rooftop, her comrades sprang into action and pulled her away from the muscular titan. "Captain! Are you okay? What's going on? Why were you riding on a titan?!" her squad demanded.

Hanji just laughed them off. "I told you! He's my friend, we've been killing titans together!" she exclaimed as she pushed them away and approached Eren.

"Thanks for the ride and sorry for trying to kill you in the beginning," she called out. "I guess I should name you..." she said as she began to pace.

Eren watched in some amusement as she dismissed several names; typically she named titans after evil people or object so she didn't have any names for good titans.

She pondered this for several seconds but was continuously coming up empty, it was so much easier thinking up a villains name than a hero's!

"Hmmmm, maybe if I knew why you were fighting titans, this'll be so much easier." she muttered to herself but Eren's pointed ears picked the words up loud and clear.

"Free," came a deep and throaty voice from the titan. Hanji froze mid-step, to shocked that a titan had actually spoken to even think to jump around or to shoot off questions. Beside her, her comrades looked as shocked as she did.

"Wha-what was that?" She asked as she turned her wide eyes to her newest friend.

However, Eren wasn't looking at her, but at the cage he was forced to live in. His eyes narrowed in hate as he thought the cage looked so much smaller.

"I...wa-t...be...free," Eren managed to say. Speaking wasn't something that came natural to a titan and he had extreme trouble forcing the words out. Without a further ado, Eren spotted a pudgy titan chasing after a young woman and quickly took off in pursuit.

As the titan left to save more people, Hanji broke out of her shock and waved goodbye by her new friend, "Bye Freedom," she called out, naming the titan after his first word, "Don't get in over your head and die!" She shouted before turning to her squad mates, "Freedom killed a lot of titans and saved a lot of people so I don't even want to hear a word about going after him." She warned and received grudging agreement from her squad.

"Good! Now lets go round up the people our white knight saved and lead them behind the wall of Maria!"

* * *

Hannes, Carla, and Mikasa all arrived at the docking station. Since Carla was wounded, someone gave up their spot on the next boat and Mikasa was a child so she got one as well.

Carla grabbed his shirt as he turned to leave to find Eren and keep his identity a secret. "Please! Please bring home my son!" she begged and got a silent nod from Hannes. He looked over at Mikasa and her expression promised him a bloody end if he failed the request.

As Hannes left through the gate, it was being kept open longer because a "mystery titan" was thinning out the man-eating ones and saving people. Some were already praising the titan as their new God for saving their lives.  
He blasted through the city and hooked on to a church bell to get a better view and hopefully see Eren. He did but he also saw something that made his heart drop.

A huge, armored, 15-meter class titan was sprinting towards the gate and Eren was sprinting to cut him off at the next block.

Hannes watched in amazement as the two collided. The armored titan was thrown on its side into a building, causing it to collapse, and Eren was right on top of him throwing punches.

However, they did not have much of an effect.

The armored titan placed a foot on Eren's stomach and pushed him into a building across the street before righting itself. Eren, always being the fastest to recover, shot up and decked the Titan with all of his strength.

To Hannes horror, Eren's humorous bone ripped free of the skin protecting it while the armored titan was merely thrown to the side. Eren spared his now ruined arm a glance before turning to face his opponent. This guy was defiantly more durable and knew how to fight.

The armored titan stood up and regarded his attacker with surprise. Was this a titan shifter like him? It didn't matter; he had orders to breach the wall of Maria and that's what he was going to do.

Eren suddenly sprang forward, intending to get the jump on the titan, but his fist was caught before being ripped off by the armored titan.

_'SHIT!'_ Eren thought as he carried with his momentum and tackled the titan with his shoulder. The titan scooted back before grabbing Eren by his shoulders, kneeing him in the ribs a few times, and then picking him up by the neck and hips and throwing him towards the Maria gate.

The throw fell short but Eren had been thrown a terrifying distance.

_'How am I supposed to protect everyone when I can't beat this guy?'_ Eren thought in panic as he forced himself up on two legs. His right arm, the one that had been ruined by his punch, had been torn away during his violent landing and his left was still healing. If he could feel pain then Eren would also know that he had about eight broken ribs and a fractured pelvis.

He looked to his left and saw that the gate of Maria had closed and when he looked to his right, he saw the titan and started sprinting again and was gaining speed quickly.

Eren positioned himself between the gate and the titan, almost daring it too keep running.

It took that dare.

The armored titan and Eren clashed but instead of even slowing, the titan picked Eren up and used him to breach the wall of Maria.

The two titans crashed through the wall of Maria, Eren a bloody mess while the armored titan made sure he was done for good.

It looked around at the masses of people all staring up at him with fear; while they did not see it, he sneered. Living behind that wall for over a hundred years, he was probably the first titan some of them had seen.

He turned to walk away but was stopped when he heard a desperate voice.

"I...I will protect **EVERYONE**!" the ruined titan roared through broken teeth before it sprung to its feet and once again attacked the armored titan from behind and forced him back through the hole he had made.

Eren placed his only arm between the armored titan's legs and picked him up and carried him from the masses of people. Eren carried him as far as he could before his broken legs gave out and both of them fell on their faces. He looked over and saw that they were a good distance away from the gate and no one was following them.

Eren breathed a sigh of relief but that was quickly cut short by a foot kicking him over. Eren looked up at the sky before he looked over at the armored titan towering over him. It looked down at him for a few seconds, as if he was deciding what to do with him, before it raised a foot.

_'So this is how it ends...at least I saved mom...'_ Eren thought before the foot crushed in his face and the top half of his titan neck.

However, heaven seemed to smile Eren on that day because the armored titan's foot had missed Eren's human body by mere inches.

The armored titan looked down at the dead shifter before turning away a final time. He had doubted whether to kill him or not, but he figured it would be better to take him out now before he became a threat later on.

* * *

Hannes ran down to Eren's dead titan body. "Oh shit oh shit oh shit!" became his mantra as walked around for any signs of life.

"Eren? Dear god, be alive; EREN?" he yelled, everyone had pulled back to guard the gates; he was only here because he was already outside.

"Ugghh..." Hannes heard faintly from the titan's neck. Quickly climbing over the remains of the skull, Hannes saw Eren making his way out of the titan's neck.

"Oh thank god!" he exclaimed as he helped Eren out of the neck. "Jeez, you're burning up," he muttered as he threw Eren's arm over his shoulder.

_'Maybe I can use that...I'll just tell them that he had a high fever and collapsed when he was fleeing.'_ Hannes thought as he took off towards the gate of Maria to get Eren on the next boat to reunite him with his family.

**Hello everyone, hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Please leave a review telling me what I did right, wrong, what I can improve on, etc.**

**Also, I'm looking for someone to beta this story! So if someone wants to do it, send me a Pm.**

**Till next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all for the support! Also, you may want to re-read the first chapter because I've done some heavy editing to it.**

**Here's the money system, 100 copper=1 silver 100 silver=1 gold**

_It has been a year since humanity's reminder that they live at the mercy of the titans. A year since the fall of Wall Maria and the slaughter of thousands._

_That day was now referred to as "First Breach" and many things have changed since then._

_There have been shortages of food as well as space due too the 2.5 hundred thousand people that came running from the Wall of Maria._

_The religion of the Walls or Wallist, many would say cult is a better name, has gained much power in the past year due to many fearing that if they didn't pray hard enough...then Rose would fall next. It was now being recognized as being an official region by the Kings Government and they had a seat reserved for any important issue._

_Another religion has also gained many supporters. The religion of Freedom or Freedomist, humanity's savior._

_While it was not as large as the religion of the wall, yet, the religions members were fiercely loyal. Especially those who Eren had saved. It was well on its way to becoming an official religion, the only thing that was stopping it was the fact that they were worshiping a titan._

_Despite being declared "dead" none of Eren's followers believed it would stay that way. Eren was God and he would return when they needed him most and protect them._

_They believed this because they had heard it from himself a year ago at the docks._

* * *

Eren trudged through snow as he silently cursed his lack of proper clothing for the weather. He wore dark brown pants with a thin cotton long sleeved shirt and shin high boots. The only reason he hadn't died of hypothermia was because of the dark grey cloak wrapped around his body and the hood protecting his face.

Eren had changed in many ways since the First Breach.

He was a thief, a gambler, a fighter, a singer and a hunter.

Due to the high prices of food and rent he was always finding a ways to make the most money to support Mikasa and his crippled mother.

He stole from those that raised their prices to the point of it being sick simply because they wanted more money in their pocket. He was the leader of a small gang of thieves that would steal from the rich and give what they didn't need to the poor.

While his group didn't have a official name; people called them the Robin Hood Crew.

He gambled as well, the chances of a single piece of copper turning into a pile was to big of an opportunity for Eren to pass up. He was quiet good at it too if he didn't say so himself.

He fought in street fights and underworld fight rings for money. His name was becoming well respected in that part of society because he hadn't lost once. It didn't matter who, how big or how many; Eren crushed everyone that stepped into the ring.

Him being a bard was actually an accident. He was whistling a tune as he waited for Armin and Mikasa. Before he knew it he was getting a few coins from generous strangers and from that day on he became a part time bard at the local tavern.

Mikasa was always trying to get involved in his slightly, very, illegal activities. She claimed that he needed someone to watch his back it that type of life and Eren knew she was right. There wasn't anyone he trusted more than Mikasa but he would do everything he could to prevent her getting involved in that kind of life.

From what he's seen; good things did not happen to pretty girls in the hood.

Sure, he knew she could handle herself but this wasn't Shiganshina. This was a far cry than fighting the local bullies; in this world losing costed you more than a broken nose and a split lip. He's seen men die in those rings and if you were a girl then you were passed around with the victor and his friends.

Eren knew he couldn't stop those things but he could stop Mikasa getting anywhere near that type of life and danger.

She had already come close enough to that kind of danger when they were eight.

Armin, on the other hand, did not get involved directly but he was the brains and a manger of sorts for Eren. He would inform Eren of a fight or a mark that was passing through and anything else he thought Eren would be interested in. Armin seemed to have his ear on the ground and his nose in the wind because he always had something for Eren.

Neither were really sure how Armin became his manger but neither really questioned it nor cared. Armin had always been the smarter of the two and they both knew it.

Mikasa, seeing that Eren didn't mind Armin getting involved, was fiercely jealous of the blonde to the point that their friendship itself had been threatened. However, Mikasa knew she was being childish by taking her frustration on the blonde quickly patched things between them.

His mother, however, was completely against all of Eren's activities. Ever since_ that_ day, she had been on his case about everything and didn't give him an inch. She made him swear to never use his power ever again, no matter the situation, and he had begrudgingly agreed.

However, do to her crippled state, she couldn't enforce her threats so Eren didn't stop his activities and Carla never refused the money he brought in.

Hunting is what he was currently doing and was why he was currently freezing his tail off. He was hunting a deer he had been tracking at the base of the mountain and the little fucker had decided to travel all the way up it. Eren, being as stubborn as a mule, decided he wasn't letting his hard work go to waste and followed his prey.

Which was why he was so poorly prepared.

He rubbed his hands together in a vain attempt to warm them. He was so cold and the sun was approaching mid-morning on the other side of the mountain so it wasn't helping in the slightest.

Eren paused to adjust his homemade bow and arrows for ready use; the tracks he's following looked fresher and the deer was close.

He slowly trudged his way up a small hill until he was looking into a small valley, his bow at the ready, but it dropped when he saw it.

His prey was dead at the center and it definitely wasn't a human that killed it.

Eren sighed in frustration as he slung the bow on his shoulder and walked down to the torn apart deer to see what killed it and if he could salvage anything from it.

"Of all the deer that could've gotten eaten it just had to be fucking mine, didn't it?" He muttered as he walked up to the deer and examined the ripped up caucus.

He swallowed a lump when he did.

These were wolf bites, and they never left prey whole so that meant they were coming back.

As he stood, intending to get as far away as possible, he heard a threatening growl behind him. Looking over his shoulder he saw a grey wolf twice the size of the average dog behind him with his fangs bared.

While it was certainly intimidating, neigh on terrifying, Eren could tell it was sick or at the very least weak. It's fur was matted and bald in some places; it was terribly skinny to the point it seemed to be made of bones instead of meat.

The cause of this was because of hunters like Eren. Because of the high food prices, people turned to catching their own food if they could and they ironically made the problem worse with over hunting; which drove food prices even higher. Now other predators were starving and they were becoming far more bold in order to get food; it wasn't uncommon to hear about wolves or bears entering a human settlement to look for food.

_'You have got to be kidding me,'_ Eren mentally exclaimed as he slowly unsheathed the dagger at his belt. His bow wouldn't be any use in this situation.

As he unsheathed it, he heard the soft sound of crunching snow coming from around him as well as more growling.

Eren just mentally sighed as he readied his knife and the first wolf sprung into action. It leapt at his throat, intending to tear it out, but before his teeth made contact it felt a sharp pain in the base of its skull before it collapsed to the ground dead.

Eren spun on his heels and did the same to another wolf that was trying to do the same as the first. He plunged his dagger into it's throat while keeping an eye on the other six remaining wolves.

While many would be wetting themselves, or possibly killing themselves for that would be a far quicker death, Eren was calm. He knew not to panic in these situations because he was rarely ever in a fair fight. As long as he kept calm, focused and used his superior speed and strength; he'd be fine.

Eren dispatched two more wolves in this manner before their pack leader signaled the retreat. The alpha stayed a few more seconds and stared at Eren, almost as if it were memorizing his face to get payback later, before taking off with the remainder of it's pack.

Eren let out a breath as he began gathering the wolf bodies. While wolves didn't have much on them and wolf meat didn't taste any better than dog, their pelts would catch a decent price when winter came.

* * *

"I'm back," Eren called out as he entered the abandoned church that his family had been staying at. It was in the attic of the church and they didn't have to share it with anyone. It was due to that fact their rent was incredibly high and why Eren was constantly looking for work.

Mikasa looked up from her book and narrowed her eyes the moment she saw what was slung on Eren's shoulders,

"That's not a dear," she commented with a flat tone.

Eren nodded, "These guys ate the dear I was tracking."

"Those wolves are only found in the mountains."

"How do you know that?!"

"I use to live there..." Mikasa said in a far away voice. She didn't like to remember the family she had lost but she did like to remember that the mountains was where she first met Eren.

Eren floundered for a moment before looking away awkwardly, "Sorry...I forgot..." he muttered as he laid the bodies down on the floor by the door.

"I know you just didn't bring dead animals into the house Eren," his mother called from her makeshift room. In reality it was a small section that was cut off by sheets.

Eren didn't respond, he simply picked the dead animals up and brought them outside to bleed and to be skinned.

When he reentered his home, Mikasa had pulled back the curtains and reviled his mother who was resting on a straw mattress, a rare luxury, and giving him a small glare, "You know better than to bring dead things into the house Eren," she started the first of many lectures for the day, "and what is this I'm hearing about wolves?"

"They killed my dear and tried to kill me," Eren defended but his mother remained firm, "Eren! I know you can take these things on but you should have ran! What if someone saw you?! Don't you think they'ed report seeing a thirteen year old boy killing a pack of wolves to the Kings Government?" Her voice remained in a loud whisper throughout the lecture, however, that didn't make the scolding any less fierce.

"You think I can out run a pack of wolves?! And so what if King finds out? I could get drafted and not have to wait another year and three months for basic training!" Eren shot back, his voice the same as his mothers.

Carla had become paranoid ever since the First Breach. She only trusted Hannes, Mikasa and Armin to be around Eren and was suspicious of everyone else.

However, in her defense, she had a right to be overprotective. She could only imagine the horrible and terrible things that would be done to her son if they ever found out about his "special talent."

She was also made sure to reign in his ever-growing ego because, technically, he was a god worshiped by many.

"You are not joining the Scouting Legion Eren," Carla actually shouted; this was something that many parents were arguing with their children about so it was a safe topic.

"Why not?!"

"I'm not letting you jump into the belly of the beast!"

Mikasa stood by the window awkwardly as the mother and son argued with each other. While she witnessed this exchange often, she didn't get use to it. It seemed that their arguing was happened more often and with growing intensity as time went on.

"Mom! I can help people! That why dad gave me this talent and why he gave me this key," Eren exclaimed as he thrusted out the key that had suddenly appeared around his neck six months ago. He recognized it as the key to the basement beneath their house and where he gained his ability.

He didn't remember how he got it but he knew his father must have given it to him. Also, as time went on, he remembered his time in the basement and when he got his ability.

When he remembered; there were thousands of question that he wanted answered. Mainly how his father knew the wall would be breached and why didn't he tell the government. However, he pushed these questions aside for when he met his father again.

Eren didn't wait to hear his mothers response; he just turned and stomped out the room.

Carla turned her gaze to Mikasa, "Follow him Mikasa. Your the only one I can trust to make sure he doesn't do something stupid and get in way over his head," She said as she grabbed Mikasa's arm.

Mikasa nodded silently before walking out and following Eren. She had already decided that she was going to do the same thing.

As Mikasa closed the door, Carla sighed heavily as she gazed out the window.

Having her legs crushed made her world so much smaller and, in a way, she could understand Eren's hatred for "cages." She couldn't imagine anything worse than this fate; to be caged off from the rest of the world because of her shattered legs. While everyone else was walking about, meeting new people and having new experiences; she was stuck in this empty room.

Her husband was gone without a trace, her eldest son was constantly out, Hannes dropped by every once and awhile but never for long. The only face she ever saw regularly was Mikasa; while they have grown much closer during the past year, there was only so much she had in common with a teenage girl.

Carla was so incredibly lonely in this cage of hers that the thought of her children also leaving was nearly unbearable. She knew it was incredibly selfish to want try to keep Eren and Mikasa in her cage so she wouldn't be alone but she couldn't stop herself.

She told herself that it was for Eren's own good, that if she didn't have her eye on him at every moment of the day than he'd find some way to end up hurt or dead.

Carla sighed again as a bird landed on the window perch and tweeted happily as it looked at her.

However, the sigh wasn't out of weariness or anger. It was recognition.

She knew her son's "wings" were to broad for any "cage." Try as she might, Carla knew Eren would one day leave her and then these wall that he boasted he will one day do, she only hoped that she was there when he did.

Turning away from the from the window she scooted over and picked up the book that she had hidden behind her bookshelf.

She smiled lightly as she flipped open to the page that she was last on and read about lands covered in ice; slowly falling in love with the outside world much like her son did all those years ago.

* * *

Eren sulked his way through the streets. He already decided that he was going to join the Scouting Corps but he had hoped that he'd at least get his mothers support.

For him it was the best option. He could only treat the symptoms behind the walls and even then it was limited by his age and upbringing. Disease, famine, homelessness, poverty and so much more were all just symptoms of an almost terminal disease.

The disease of the titans.

He wanted to take out the source; he wanted to kill the titans. If he purged them from this world then so many problems would be solved!

They'ed have more land then they'ed know what to do with, since people wouldn't be living in such cramped conditions then diseases would be passed around so easily...and above all else then they'ed be free.

Not only did Eren want to purge the titans for humain reasons, he had a deep seeded hatred for the titans. He couldn't explain it but he felt a bottomless pit of boiling rage and hate when he thought of the titans. While he hadn't lost anyone to them that he knew, he could think of many reasons for his hate.

They had crippled his mother, forcing her to a life of even a smaller cage.

They ate humans, and judging by their fucking satisfied look on their face every time they did; Eren thought that humans were their version of candy.

They forced the human race to cower behind these walls; stripping them of their pride and dignity. They reduced the human race to little more than cattle waiting to be eaten.

There were so many reasons but Eren didn't think it was any of them.

Eren wanted to kill the titans because he felt like he needed to; like a deep seeded urge or instinct.

Like it was his reason to exist.

However, his every attempt to tell his mother this was blocked by her stubbornness.

He couldn't understand why his mother didn't want him to help towards that goal; a world free of the titans. He was always stronger than anyone else so why shouldn't he be using that strength to protect people in the best way? He already promised he wouldn't become a titan again, wasn't that enough?!

Though, admittedly, he did occasionally experiment but he never turned full titan so he wasn't breaking his promise! Just bending it...a lot.

"Hey Eren," He heard a child's voice call out to him, turning around he saw that was his friend Armin.

"Hey Armin, whats up," He greeted as he continued his walk with his blonde friend next to him.

"Nothing, your mom told me you were out hunting. Did you catch anything," He asked but he already knew the answer. Once Eren set his sights on something then he'd either obtain it, get something better or die trying.

Eren nodded, "A few wolves took out my deer so I got them instead." He answered as he turned a 180 and started to walk backwards.

He knew his mother was going to send Mikasa after him so he might as well greet her.

When Armin saw this action he asked, "You had a fight with your mother again?" Whenever they did, Eren always kept a look out for Mikasa because she would soon follow.

Eren nodded, "Yeah, she lectured me for wanting to join the Scouting Corps again." He answered.

He didn't mention that the lecture had started out with the possibility that his secret being exposed because Armin didn't know that he was_ the Freedom_, savior of humanity. He had wanted to tell his childhood friend but his mother had been completely against it. She said that a secret could only be kept between two men if one of them was dead.

Eren would have argued that more than three people knew about his ability but he got his mothers point. The more people that knew the higher chance of getting exposed. While he didn't see the problem with it; it had been pressure from Mikasa and Hannes that convinced him to keep Armin in the dark.

Armin nodded, they fought about that topic quiet often so he believed it easily, "Are you still signing up regardless?" he asked.

Eren nodded, "Yeah. Mikasa's saying that if I join then she's joining to; but I think I can convince her to go into the Military Police. It'll be safer for her there and maybe she can get mom behind the main wall," he said as he spotted a pretty girl wearing a signature red scarf. He waved at her to come over and a few seconds later she was walking with them.

"Are you joining?" Eren asked Armin and the blonde shook his head, "I don't know... I want to see the outside world but I don't want to leave my grandpa," He said but there was an edge of worry in his tone.

His grandfather, the last of his family, had just "volunteered" for the mission to retake the wall of Maria.

Eren winced, he had considered that topic at length. His mother would be left alone while he, and probably Mikasa, would be out slaying titans. He knew his mother was lonely and he was looking into measures for ways to keep his mother happy for the three years of basic training.

She didn't know this but he was looking into a home for the disabled. It was a large inn filled with those that couldn't move on their own and had no one to care for them.

He looked around and thought his mother would be happy there. There were plenty of people her age there and it was free because it was backed by charities.

He planned to tell her that that was where she'll be staying a few days before he leaved for basic training. By that time he'd either find something better or convince her to go.

However, regardless of her opinions, Eren had to join the Scouting Corps. His father gave him this awesome power and he couldn't just sit back and pretend he was normal when he should protecting those that were.

Eren had to do this and a mans gotta do what a mans gotta do.

* * *

The three children all sat near the open market enjoying each others company. They were enjoying the fresh smell of baked goods and spices while ignoring the stench of unwashed men and women.

You had to focus on the little things.

Eren was currently laughing at a joke Armin had said while Mikasa chuckled along with him. Armin's eyes lit up when he saw that his friends were enjoying themselves; especially Eren.

Armin was worried for his friend; Eren seemed so tired lately. He had bags under his eyes and he yawned every other minute. However, the stubborn boy insisted that he was fine and brushed away the blondes concerns.

When they stopped laughing, Eren sighed, "Man, I miss this," he said as he leaned back, using his arms to prop him up.

Armin nodded, "Things have really changed since that day," he said as he observed the flowing mass of people. While the streets were crowded, Armin knew that the outer districts were actually less populated than what they use to be. Most people didn't want to live outside of the main wall seeing as what happened to their original home.

The outer districts were now primarily populated by the poor, gang members, the Wallist and Freedomist.

"Yeah...I wonder what's changed the most?" Eren wondered aloud.

"You," Mikasa said, quick as a whip.

"Yeah, it's defiantly you Eren," Armin agreed with a nod.

Eren leaned up, his brow furrowed with outrage, "I haven't changed that much!" he shot back, denying the accusation. In his opinion. it was mostly true; he was still short tempered with an unquenchable thirst for adventure.

"Your angrier than you use to be," Mikasa started.

"You yawn a lot more."

"Your always in a fight; way more often than before. "

"You sing."

Eren narrowed his eye, "Okay, I got the point!" he muttered angrily; he hadn't expected that barrage.

Mikasa smiled lightly, "You've changed Eren, but not in a bad way...your a lot more mature now."

Armin nodded in agreement again, "Your more responsible. You don't blow all your money on candy like you use to."

Eren's frown vanished and it was replaced with a pleased look, his ego using the praise to grow.

"You'd be even more mature if you weren't always in a fight." Mikasa commented, taking the duty of keeping Eren's ego in check.

Armin laughed as Eren frowned again, "I'm not always in a fight!" he denied.

However, as if to prove Eren's words false, a small group of kids approached the trio.

"Oi, which one of you is Eren Yeager," a fifteen year old girl asked. She was accompanied by 5 other teens but she seemed to be the leader of the small group. All of them were dirty, their hair was sleek with grease and sweat.

"I am," Eren said as he leaned forward, the carefree air gone. His eyes narrowed for his instincts were screaming at him that these people weren't here for a social call.

The girl grinned, sending the tree on edge, "We're here to kill ya," she said sending Eren a predatorily grin as a shiv appeared in her hands. The others in her group pulled out weapons of their own; make-shift bats and knives.

Mikasa's hands clenched as she nearly shot up to attack the girl but a hand on her wrist from Eren stopped her in her tracks. The two made eye contact and he shook his head no, causing Mikasa to settle back down. She knew Eren was, unfortunately, use to these situations and she would trust his experience in them. However, she was ready to throw fists at the drop of a hat.

Eren looked back at the leader of the group, sizing her and her group up as well as marking off things of interest.

The leader had bright red hair, an uncommon trait, as well as a coin purse tucked into her pants, it made it harder to steal that way. A boy on her held a bat with an unhealthy crack in it; another girl on the far left looked nervous and ready to bolt at any sudden movement. The others were completely unremarkable.

"Okay, I know a place where we can settle this," Eren said in an aloof tone, shocking his opponents. The girl on the far left, Eren dubbed her Twitchy, took a nervous step back.

She had heard many rumors about Eren Yeager. How he could take down anyone without suffering a scratch, how he had taken down entire gangs alone, some even said he fought and defeated a titan bare handed! Sure, she was a little surprised when it turned out Eren Yeager was just a kid but she knew not to underestimate him.

He must have so many rumors about him circulating around Trost for a reason right?

The small gang looked at one another, almost floundering for a response to Eren's calm tone before the leader said, "You think were idiots? You probably have your gang hidden waiting for us! Whats to stop us from offing you right here?" she spat.

Mikasa tensed and as well as Armin, but for different reasons. Mikasa was ready to kill and Armin was ready to run.

Eren sighed, "Firstly; yes I think your idiots. If you wanted to hush me then you should have done it when I didn't know about it. Secondly; I don't deal with gangs. Thirdly; if a massive brawl breaks out then the Military Police will come in minutes." Eren said as he stood.

The leaders eyes narrowed at the insults but couldn't think of a way to refute them.

Eren, seeing that they were compliant to try to kill him somewhere else, turned to Mikasa and Armin, "Mikasa, take Armin home," He ordered.

His order met resistance.

Mikasa shot up and pulled Eren to the side, "I'm not letting you fight them alone! They have weapons!" she hissed into Eren's ear. The event's of the cabin in the woods playing through her mind.

"Yes, you are Mikasa; I can't fight and protect you two at the same time." Eren hissed back.

Before Mikasa had the chance to respond that she didn't need protection, Eren continued, "I know you can hold your own but Armin can't. I wouldn't put it past these guys to have someone waiting for you two on the way back," Eren finished, using an excuse for Mikasa to leave that she wouldn't be able to refute.

Mikasa's eyes narrowed, knowing exactly what Eren had just done but, like he had intended, she couldn't refute his logic. If they did send someone after Armin then he'd die if she wasn't there.

She also knew they couldn't stay because they could be used against Eren. If one of them did get past Eren then Mikasa wasn't completely positive she could fight an armed opponent and win while protecting Armin and keeping an eye on Eren.

Mikasa took a step back, "Be careful," she muttered before grabbing Armin's sleeve and jogging off.

"Now things are squared away with your girlfriend, take us to your burial grounds," the leader said, a cocky grin playing at her lips.

"Sure, right this way," Eren said as he took off in a random direction.

The leaders grin fell slightly,_ 'this kid isn't acting like someone who's about to die...what does he have up those sleeves?'_ she wondered as she gave the signal for her gang to follow. Twitchy went along as well but their was a pit of fear in her stomach and she had the sinking feeling that they were the ones marching towards their deaths; not Eren.

The walk was very short; It was an alleyway between to businesses. It was wide enough for four people to stand shoulder to shoulder and scarcely used.

Eren had used this alleyway in a number of fights before.

"Here we are," Eren said in a calm tone before looking back at the gang, "now empty out your coin purses in that bucket over there," Eren said as he jerked a thumb in the collection bucket for rain and, in this case, money.

He enjoyed seeing the confusion on their faces as they slowly processed what he said. This type of thing happened more often that he would like; cocky gangs wanting to kill him to make a name for themselves.

"What did you just say punk?" The leader snarled as she drew her shiv again.

"Do you really think your the first to try this; kill me to make a name for yourself so it's easier to do business here?" He scoffed, "there's a reason why we made a process. Five silver to fight and an additional one for every person you add. Since you decided to ignore the rules, you lost all the money you have. So throw your money in the bucket; it'll save me the trouble of going through your pockets when this is done."

Twitchy took several steps back and swallowed the lump in her throat; she was right!

The leader snarled, "Like hell we will!" she shouted and all of them charged save Twitchy and another.

She could barely believe her eyes; it was happening right in front of her but her brain refused to believe it.

The fight had just started and they were already losing!

The leader of the group ran at Eren with her shiv ready to plunge into the arrogant teen but before the weapon came even close, she felt her wrist wrenched to the side and the knife torn from her grasp. Eren planted a foot behind her leg before grabbing her face and tripping her.

The leaders head hit the paved road with a thump but Eren didn't think the blow killed her. She'd probably wake in a few hours with a horrible headache and a case of embarrassment.

The gang blinked in surprise to see their leader so suddenly taken out before Eren took out another by kneeing a the closest one to him in the balls. The boy lurched over and fell over gasping and Eren winced for him. Being a man, he knew how much that hurt but if your going to fight, then you might as well fight dirty.

"You fuc-" one boy started to yell as he raised his bat to knock Eren's head clean off his shoulders. However, before the strike to land, Eren threw up a forearm and it absorbed most of the blow at the expense of cracking his radius. It was more than an even trade because the boys bat, the one Eren noted was cracked earlier, broke and was rendered useless.

Eren hissed in pain before plunging his shiv, the one he had taken off of the leader, into the boys shoulder. The boy yelped in pain as he fell to the ground clutching his wounded shoulder.

Eren looked over at Twitchy and her remaining friend, who were looking at him like some god.

Eren smirked to himself,_ 'well, I guess it's not far from the truth,'_ he thought, causing his ego to swell.

Suddenly, Twitchy's friend bolted, leaving Twitchy behind. Eren wasn't surprised, there was always one that ran and it seemed like Twitchy wanted to but was to afraid to move. She simply stared up at him in shock and Eren felt a bit bad, then he remembered that they tried to kill him and the pity vanished.

Eren rummaged through his fallen foes pockets and took their coin purses; two of them didn't have anything but the leader had six pieces alone while the remaining had two copper peices. He sighed in annoyance, if they were going to waste his time then they could have least had a descent amount of money on them.

Though, in a way, he wasn't surprised. They seemed to be struggling just to live and probably didn't have anything else to their name.

He looked over at Twitchy again and the girl flinched and fell on her butt. Eren got up and made his way over to her and she began to panic, "I'm sorry! We just wanted to get big, ya know! We didn't mean anything by it! I'm so sorry, please don't hurt me!" Twitchy yelled as she crawled backwards until she hit a wall. Terrified tears ran down her cheeks as she crawled into a ball and waited for her beating or worse.

She was greatly surprised when a hand opened her hand and she felt cold silver being placed in it. Looking up, she saw green eyes filled with remorse before she heard, "It's for your friend, I don't think the stab will kill him but it'll probably get infected," was all he said before Eren returned to his full height and walking off.

"Wha-why?" Twitchy murmured but Eren heard her.

"Because I know you guys were desperate. Desperate people do stupid things; just make sure you don't make this mistake again...not everyone is as nice as I am." Eren said as he walked out the alley and leaving Twitchy alone.

* * *

Eren rubbed his forearm, making sure that it had actually healed.

He found out about this new ability a few weeks after the first breach when he had accidentally cut his hand open with a knife. He had been thoroughly shocked when steam erupted from the cut and it closed seconds later.

Since then he tested his healing abilities in very dangerous ways.

He knew he was immune to some poisons and venom's. He tested that in a number of stupidly dangerous ways.

He was on a hunting trip when he had stumbled upon a rattle snake. He had been very hesitant about actually going through with the test because anti-venom for their poison were expensive if he managed to get to the next town without dying. However, curiosity and overridden his fear of death and he let the snake strike him.

He felt ill for a few hours but not terrible. Bit of a fever and some nausea and that was it. Eren, overjoyed with his success, decided to test is abilities in other ways.

He found out that not only did broken bones heal, but they also set themselves. He found that out when he had broken a few ribs in a fight and passed out from pain and when he woke they were as good as new. He also noticed that he pain tolerance was rapidly increasing to the point that broken bones only gave him a dull ache instead of crippling pain.

He also found out that if he concentrated, he could stop the healing process. This was a life saver because Eren was rarely not in a fight, however much he denied it, and it would be only a matter of time when people noticed that a broken arm healed in a day or a gash healed in minutes.

However, there were things that he hadn't tested yet; like he didn't know if he could regenerate a finger or a hand. He couldn't bring himself to cut anything off because if it didn't grow back then he couldn't join the Scouting Legion.

Eren sighed in relief when he felt no abnormalities with his arm before he placed his hands in his pockets and walk home.

It took him less than ten minutes to arrive at his destination and he saw Mikasa waiting for him at the entrance of the church, Mikasa had sent Armin home because she wanted a word alone with Eren.

Armin had agreed because he knew Eren would return home fine and he wanted to spend as much time with his grandfather as he could. While he didn't enjoy Eren making him sound like he was fragile as glass; he knew Eren didn't mean it in a bad way. He knew Eren didn't want Mikasa to have anything to do with the dark parts of the world so he simply used him as an excuse to get Mikasa to leave.

Eren sighed as he walked toward Mikasa, preparing his retorts and defense in the short walk there. Their eye's met briefly and it was the signal for start of the argument.

"How was the walk home?" Eren started.

"Unremarkable. How was fighting an armed gang by yourself?" Mikasa shot back in an instant; her tone unreadable.

If Eren was being honest; Mikasa Ackerman as a whole was completely unreadable. He never had this problem with anyone else; he could read most people like an open book but Mikasa was like trying to read a blank piece of paper. He never knew what was going through her head or how she felt until she either flat out told him or let him know in other ways.

It always bothered him that she was so hard to read; what made it worse was the fact Armin could read Mikasa. He always knew exactly where she was coming from and how she felt at any time and Eren was jealous. He and Mikasa went through so much together but Armin was the one that knew her best.

That bothered Eren in ways he couldn't describe.

"Ummmm...not very profitable? I only got a few pieces off them." Eren tried, thinking a joke would be the best way to defuse the situation.

Mikasa blinked slowly, showing that she didn't find Eren's attempt at humor cute. It was also the only warning he got before her palm met his cheek with a loud crack.

His head jerked to the side, his eyes wide with surprise. When he turned to face her again and demand why she had just hit him, Mikasa had already turned around and was walking into the building.

Eren stood there for several seconds; his face stung but that was washed away by the overwhelming sense of confusion.

Why the fuck did she hit him?

The teenager sighed loudly as he rubbed his cheek as he followed; all the while thinking that he didn't know Mikasa in the slightest.

**Hello everyone! Hope you enjoyed the second chapter!**

**I'm still looking for a beta for this story! English isn't my first language; while I have been speaking it for a while; grammar still isn't my strong point. **

**I'm also looking for a critique for the story as well. That way instead of me having to go back and change up a scene or re write something after I post the chapter; I could send it to one person and they tell me what to improve on before uploading it.**

**Stuff like keeping characters in check, making sure it flows, if something is a good idea; those kinds of things.**

**So if anyone wants to either or, preferably, both; than send me a PM or leave a Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone; hope you enjoy the third chapter of my story. A big thank you to Xerxus Namikaze for betaing and critiquing this story.**

**Also, as a warning that I forgot at the beginning; this story does contain Oc's but NONE OF THEM ARE PERMANENT! I'm only using them for character development and for a small ark before basic training. After the small ark; these guys won't make another appearance for awhile, if ever.**

Mikasa walked through the crowded streets. It had been a month since Eren returned with the wolves and she slapped him for being an ass.

She was currently looking for said ass because it had been almost two days since she last saw him and she was getting worried. While she did know that he could take care of himself, he did a very poor job of it.

He focused on taking care of her and his mother so she took the responsibility of taking care of him.

Her eyes swept across the crowd, searching for any sign of the green eyed boy, yet even her dynamic vision could not detect him. She gripped her scarf and grit her teeth; Eren nearly never went this long without making contact. The only times he did was when he went hunting but Eren didn't go to hunt. He said he went to meet "the guys."

It was code for the Robin Hood gang that he lead, and that meant he was going to go out and steal. She always tried to accompany him, having long since stopped trying to talk him out of it, but he always rebuffed her attempts to tag along.  
He always did that when it came to his more dangerous activities, making up some excuse or leave without her knowing. He would only let her come with when he was hunting, on special occasions, when he sang at a tavern, to keep an eye on the money, and when he gambled, he said she was a lucky charm.

When it came to his back alley fights or crimes, she'd only find him after the fact and sometimes far worse for wear.  
She always felt so useless when she saw him like that. She had tried to get some type of work as well but there were very few openings for a teenage girl. The only ways that she could make any real money were prostitution or crime.  
Eren had savagely head-butted her forehead when she mentioned the first one and told her that he was the man of the family and he would bear the financial burdens alone.

_'He's not anywhere in the open,_' Mikasa observed, _'I haven't heard anything about the crew getting caught so he's not in a cell. He's either at Armin's or at his hideout.'_ She concluded as she went straight to the hideout of the Robin Hood's.  
Eren had given her and Armin its location in case they ever needed him.

She knew he wasn't at Armin's because the blonde was also looking for him. Eren had a fight yesterday and since he didn't show up, he lost by forfeit. Not only was this the first stain on his spotless record but he also lost 12 silver pieces.  
Mikasa walked into the shadier parts of the city, no one bothered her because many knew her as "Eren's girl." She always blushed when people said that.

Despite being so young, Eren's name was becoming well respected, closer to feared, for his terrifying reputation of brutally slaughtering those who gave his friends trouble; no matter how many or how large.

She stopped at the remains of a ruined church. It had caught fire a year ago and everyone avoided it since over 30 people had died in the fire. Even if it wasn't haunted, people didn't want to stay in a building that looked a light breeze would topple it.

Eren, however, decided it was that reason why this was the best place to set up base.

She made sure no one was looking before she entered through the back entrance. She was greeted by the smell of rotting wood and mold, though there were no signs that the place was inhabited at the moment. She didn't expect to see anyone.

Mikasa quickly walked towards the confession both and entered where the priest would sit and slid the hidden trapdoor back before entering the crawl space that went towards the cellar.

The original passage way to the cellar was blocked by large amounts of rubble and burnt wood. Eren and the crew had spent an entire month digging out the crawl space and securing it so it wouldn't cave in.

She quickly climbed down the ladder and crouched through the low ceiling before she pushed the portrait that blocked light from the cellar forward and dropped down.

The room was simple; a few cots and a chest or two to hold their equipment and valuables. The exact opposite of what rumors would lead you to believe.

If you believed the rumors, than the Robin Hood Crew were actually high nobles that were sickened of the king's neglect. Some even said that the leader, Eren, was the son of the king himself.

Some said that they weren't even thieves anymore; the rumors said that the crew was so wealthy that they had jewels and gold lying around in heaps. That the wealth they gave away was spring cleaning to them.

These rumors became bigger and bigger around Trost simply because no one knew who the members of the crew were or what they looked like. People didn't know how many there were nor where they based.

It was because of this that people could spin the rumors to ridiculous proportions.

Mikasa never would understand how the human rumor mill worked.

"Eren?" Mikasa called out in a loud whisper into the dimly lit room. There wasn't a verbal response but she heard a soft rustling to her right. Looking in that direction, she noticed one of the cots was occupied.

Mikasa quickly crossed the distance and checked to see who was in the cot and saw it was indeed Eren.

He was sleeping like a baby and Mikasa almost wanted to hit him for it. She and his mother had been worried out of their minds that something happened to him, and here he was! Sleeping like a child.

She restrained herself though, simply because of how peaceful he looked. It had been ages since she saw Eren actually getting a night's sleep. When he was awake he was constantly out and finding ways to make money and even when he did sleep it was never more than a few hours.

She saw the bags underneath his eyes, she noticed how he moved increasingly sluggishly; he was more short tempered than he already was, he zoned out when you were talking to him and there were so many more signs as well.

So she didn't hit him for worrying her out of her mind. She found a much different way to make him pay.

Mikasa placed a hand on the teen's chest and felt the strong beat of his heart in her palm. Almost instantly, her body relaxed and her every worry vanished.

Feeling Eren's heart beat had been a habit that started when they were younger.

It started a few days after she entered the Yeager household and she had a nightmare about her parents. However, a few things changed in her overactive imagination, and Eren died that night as well.

She awoke, terrified and crying. While she knew Eren was alive and well, she wanted make sure to put her mind at ease; so she snuck into his room and placed her hand on his heart.

In an instant, she felt calm and her fears were forgotten. The beat of his heart comforted her in ways she couldn't describe. It was solid proof that her savior was alive.

It was a pattern that was repeated most night's before the First Breach, not always because she was afraid, but because she liked feeling the powerful thumps against her hand.

She rarely ever did it now, not because she wanted to but because Eren was never home.

Minutes later, her legs began to cramp and she was forced to stand; her hand still attached to Eren's chest. She knew she couldn't crouch by his bedside until he awoke and the cots were nailed to the ground so she couldn't drag one over to keep her hand on his heart.

Deciding that she wasn't going to remove her hand until she was satisfied, Mikasa lifted the blanket and slid into the cot with Eren, her hand never leaving his chest. She faced him and Eren muttered in his sleep, something about having less room, before draping an arm around her side.

Mikasa, not displeased with the turnout, breathed a small sigh of satisfaction.

If it wasn't obvious, Mikasa had feelings for the hot headed teen.

He was her savior. He was the one that saved her from slavers, the one that drove away the mind numbing coldness of being alone without love. He was the one that gave her a home when she didn't know where to go.

Mikasa quickly followed Eren into sleep; his body warming her and his heart beating a slow, caring lullaby.

* * *

Eren opened his eyes to view complete darkness. He blinked in confusion a few times as he regained his bearings.

_'Why's the room so dark? We always keep a few candles lit,'_ he thought as he rubbed sleep out of his eyes. When he went to prop himself up, his mind formed a second question when his hand landed on a soft mound clad in thin cotton.  
Eren, immediately knowing what he had just touched, retracted his hand and nearly jumped out of the bed.

How in the hell did this happen? He and the guys had returned from a successful job and he had taken a quick nap, how did he end up with a girl in his bed?!

_'Oh God, Mom's going to fucking murder me!'_ Eren thought in panic; his mother had threatened to castrate him if he had sex before marriage and he was sure she'd count this even though he didn't remember it or how it happened.

Eren let out a shaky breath as he imagined all the horrible fates that his mother would bestow on to him before he felt soft, worn out cotton scrap against his hand. His panic receded as he traced the article of clothing and found out it was a scarf.

Relief flooded Eren because he instantly knew who it was. He knew that there was no way he and Mikasa had sex.

Eren honestly doubted that Mikasa was interested in the opposite sex. Even if she was, she probably wouldn't know what to do with a boy.

He slowly made his way out of the cot, trying not to wake her, and when he did he noticed that his muscles were unnaturally stiff and his joints popped. He groaned softly as he stood to full height and stretched himself out.

_'Why am I so stiff? I was only asleep for a few hours.'_ He thought to himself before he stumbled his way to where he kept the lantern before lighting it and bathing the room with a dim light. Now he could see, he almost laughed when he saw Mikasa.

She was dead asleep with her mouth wide open with a healthy amount of drool leaking out the side of her mouth; her hair looked like a messy monster that was trying to slowly devour her head. It was a very amusing sight to see considering how composed Mikasa typically was.

After committing the sight to memory, he walked over and gently shook the sleeping girl. It took quite a few shakes to wake her, which was surprising since Mikasa would normally wake at the sound of a pin dropping.

"Mmmph... Eren...?" Mikasa murmured sleepily before yawning loudly and stretching like a cat. Then, blushing, she squeaked and quickly tamed her wild hair, wiping some drool from her mouth in the process. She had planned to wake up before Eren so he wouldn't find out.

"So what are you doing here?" Eren asked as he sat on the nearest cot before his eyes narrowed, "Did something happen?" He asked in an urgent tone.

Mikasa narrowed her eyes in return, "Yes. You disappeared for two days." She shot back, her tone was flat but Eren could tell she was upset.

He sent her a questioning glance; _'Two days? The heist was only a few hours ago!'_ He thought to himself.  
Mikasa, seeing his confusion, spoke up. "You left Tuesday morning to 'meet the guys' yet I find you snoring in here, Thursday night." She explained in an icy tone.

Eren blinked slowly, his brain slowly processing his friend's words. Two days? He had slept a solid two days?! Was that even possible?

Sure, he had been dead tired after the crew's score, but to sleep for two days? No way!

Mikasa's eyes softened, "Eren...you're pushing yourself to hard. Let me-" she started but Eren cut her off with one word.

"No."

It was all he had to say because he knew exactly where Mikasa was steering this conversation.

"Eren, you're crashing!" Mikasa exclaimed, "You get maybe two or three hours of sleep a night and you rarely even eat! You can't keep going like this, you need some help!"

"I'm fine! Don't worry about me!" "How could I not?! You're slowly killing yourself! Please, just let me help you Eren...that's all I've ever wanted to do." Mikasa pleaded with frustrated tears in her eyes. It was one of the rare moments that she didn't have full control of herself.

"I KNOW THAT!" Eren roared, silencing Mikasa, as he clenched his fist and stared at the ground. "But how are you going you help? Your only real options are _prostitution_," Eren spat the word out with venom, "or crime and eventually some idiot is going to try to..." he trailed off, not even wanting to think about that.

While his name was a bit of a legend around Trost; his name didn't mean much in the wall of Rose as a whole.

Mikasa's eyes narrowed again, "I can protect myself Eren." She said in a steely tone.

"And what about the other issue?" Eren asked, looking up with stony eyes.

Mikasa couldn't meet his heavy gaze, "You don't have to make all of the sacrifices," she said in a quiet tone before she covered her lips with her, Eren's, maroon scarf.

There were a few seconds of complete silence.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Eren asked softly, his eyes wide with disbelief. When Mikasa didn't answer he shot up yelling, "Mikasa, tell me this is some crappy joke!" he demanded but the girl would not answer.

Eren could only stare at her in disbelief before the disbelief quickly turned into anger.

"No FUCKING way! I did not save you from those pieces of trash so you could become some whore! That's what they were going to do with you Mikasa! How could you be so stupid to even think _that_ was a fucking option?!" Eren ranted as he paced throughout the room, he was too angry to sit still.

Mikasa sat quietly, all of Eren's words hitting home.

She had never out right said she would be willing to sacrifice her pride to help. She had merely mentioned it was that it was one of the few openings for a teenage girl, and this was the first time she had actually brought up the fact she was willing to.

Mikasa stared at her hands that were clenched in small fists, "I know that..." she said softly, causing Eren to pause, "but I don't know what else I can do Eren. You can't keep going like this. I see how tired you are and soon enough you're going to do something stupid and then you're going to get hurt because I'm not there to protect you." Mikasa said as tears rolled down her face.

Eren sighed loudly as he rubbed his eyes with the palms if his hands, this was not a good way to start the morning. He crossed the distance and sat at the edge of the cot, "Mikasa...you're right. I need help," he admitted, causing Mikasa's head to snap up. Eren never admitted that he was wrong.

He had just slept solid for two days and felt like he needed to sleep for another; she was right. He was crashing and he needed someone to share the burden with. However, if Mikasa was going to be the one who shouldered the weight with him, then there were going to be several conditions.

"But," he continued, "you're out of your goddamn mind if you think I'm going to let you whore yourself out; no matter how exhausted or beat up I am I will_ never_ let that happen," he said with cold steel dripping from his voice.

Mikasa nodded as a breath she didn't realize she was holding was released.

Eren would never know this but she had already made contact with someone that could get her into that business if he continued to refuse her help.

Eren ran a hand threw his hair, causing his already bad case of bed-head to worsen, before saying, "The guys and I have our eyes on a noble. He's allowed people to stay on his lands a few months for free but now he's charging outrageous prices for people continuing to live there.

While that's fine in itself; he only gave them a few hours to pack up and leave and the first payment was fifty silver pieces. Since hardly anyone could afford that, their forced to work to pay off their debt but he still charges them for staying on his land." Eren explained.

Mikasa nodded, showing that she was following. Basically the noble had enslaved possibly hundreds of people through debt.

"We're going to break in, rob the dirt bag blind and give three fourths of the possessions back to their rightful owners.

The rest is ours." Eren said as he stood and offered a hand, which Mikasa took.

"When are we leaving?"

"Well, if it's really Friday, tonight."

* * *

Mikasa and Eren stopped by their home to get a different pair of clothes before they returned to the hideout a few hours later. When they got there, Armin and the three other members of the crew were already there.

Eren dropped down from the ladder and saw that everyone was here.

"Yo," a white haired teenager greeted. He was the second youngest of the crew at 14. He was a little over average height and had a slender build. Girls said he was handsome with his hair as white as snow and the eye patch over his left eye giving him a mysterious look.

The second eldest was 17. He had long, wild black hair that reached just pass his shoulders. He had a mean disposition about him, like if you said a few choice words to him then you'd find yourself with a broken jaw. His name was Vincent.

The last member of the rag tag band was a man named Keneko. He was the only legal adult of the group since he was 18. He had dark skin with a hint of red with matching black hair and dark brown eyes.

"Eren! Where have you been?" Armin asked his long time best friend. He had been chewing his nails, a bad habit that had somehow gotten the better of him nearly two years prior.

"Hey Armin, I...ahhh...had a long nap…? I'll explain it later." He said sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. Before Armin had a chance to respond, Mikasa dropped down into the room.

The three others members jumped up and reached for their hidden weapons that they always kept on them before Eren shook his head. The three shared a glance before returning.

"M-Mikasa?" Armin asked in shock before sending a questioning look at Eren. Last time he checked, Eren was completely and utterly against Mikasa having anything to do with a crime. He said it was too dangerous for her but Armin didn't really understand that.

They would be joining the training group in the hopes of becoming Recon Corps members in a year, so what was the big deal about her stealing with him?

"Armin," Mikasa said with a small nod to greet her friend but her eyes were trained on the other three men in the room. She was sizing them up to see if they seemed trustworthy and if they were capable to handle themselves.

"Oh! So this is your darling little sis!" the white haired teen said as he jumped up from his seat, "You never told me she was such a beautiful ray of sunshine in this dark world!" he continued as he walked up to Mikasa with a charming grin that could make a woman swoon.

"Maybe it's because I wanted to save her from your womanizing." Eren commented drily as he watched his usual greeting of the opposite sex.

The teen waved him off, "I haven't the slightest clue what you're talking about! I simply think a true friend would have introduced me to this lovely angel," he said before he bowed at the waist, "the name's Sora, my dear! Would you please be so kind to give a young lad your name?"

Mikasa regarded the man with disdain, "Mikasa," she deadpanned. She wasn't even sure why he was asking, Armin had just said it a few moments ago.

"Mikasa! What a wonderful name, it suits a stunning young woman such as yourself!" Sora said as he rose to his full height, he was just a head taller than Mikasa. He keeping up his 'charming' grin when he asked, "Now my fair lady, would you, perchance, consider joining me in a candle lit dinner under the stars?"

"No."

Sora jumped back with his hands over his heart while the others cracked up laughing. Well, everyone except for Vincent, who cracked a smile.

Sora was always like that when he saw a woman, no matter how much older she was than him. It was an odd quirk but you could easily amuse yourself with his rejections, or an even funnier score.

Mikasa sent a questioning look over at Eren as Sora began to rant about his broken heart. Eren simply shrugged and gestured for her to roll with it.

When Sora had settled down, Armin asked the question the other two wanted to know, "So, Mikasa...why are you here exactly?" he asked with no small amount of confusion.

"I'm helping," Mikasa said tersely, she could sense that her presence wasn't exactly accepted by the rest of the room.  
Armin's confusion intensified while Sora smiled like a loon, "Oh! New member!" he said, grinning ear to ear.

Vincent gave Mikasa a quick look over and shrugged, "Fine with me, but if you screw up, it's on you."

Keneko seemed to be the only one against it, "Bad idea Eren," he said flatly, "we're about to go on our biggest score yet, we can't bring in inexperienced hands on this." He explained and got a glare from Mikasa that sent a shiver down the man's spine.

Eren sighed, silently agreeing with the adult, "You're right and that's why she won't be in the thick of it," he said and could practically feel Mikasa's eyes boring holes into him from behind.

"She'll be covering our escape and handling the loot," he explained further, hoping the semi-important job would appease his friend.

Judging by the fact he could still feel her eye on him; it did not.

Keneko's eyes flicked between Mikasa and Eren before he sighed heavily, "All right, it's your call boss." He said as he crossed his arms, showing that he still wasn't fully onboard with the idea.

Eren nodded, "Now that that's out the way; Armin, what do ya got for us?" he inquired as he sat at the table in the center of the room. On the table was the basic layout of their current target.

Armin snapped out of his shock and made his way towards the table, "Okay, this is a little more high profile than what you guys usually go for so I thought up a couple strategies that you could use, but I think there's one that you'll all like," he started with a grin playing at his lips.

* * *

Mikasa sat in the interior of a carriage with Sora and Vincent. Eren and Keneko were sitting out front driving the carriage.

Armin was nowhere to be found; he was the planner, leaving the actual heists up to the professionals.  
They were heading towards the noble's house that was a few hours away. It would be almost nightfall when they arrived and they would have an hour to get in position and meet their contact, Jeremy.

Today was the noble's daughter's birthday, and the contact said he could get them in as new workers for the party or as one of the noble's "slaves." While Mikasa was still cautious, the rest of the group seemed to trust the contact; apparently this wasn't their first time working together.

Despite her demands, Eren had refused to let her do anything other than watch their getaway ride. He said that Keneko was right about bringing any inexperienced hands into this and she would have to wait until a few heist's before the small group would trust her to get her feet wet. While Mikasa could see the logic behind their words; she wasn't happy about it.

She was currently staring out the window in distaste.

However, it her staring was soon broken by Sora.

"Sooo beautiful, since your new to the group I'm sure you have questions?" Sora said as he stretched out his legs so they were propped up on the seat across from him.

Mikasa narrowed her eyes at the unwanted nickname but the man was right; she did have questions that she wanted answered.

"Why is Eren the leader when you're all older than him?"

Sora smirked at that, he had guessed that'd be her first question, "A few reasons, actually. One; none of us are really leader material. I'm an idiot and a flirt," he jabbed a thumb in Vincent's direction, "he has a stick shoved so far up his ass that it hit his voice box so he can only speak short threatening sentences or grunt."

Vincent grunted in response and Sora waved a hand at him as if to say, "case and point."

"As for the Keneko...well, I'm not entirely sure. He just seems to prefer to go with the flow, you know?"

Mikasa nodded, "So Eren is the only one willing to step up?" she summarized. That sounded like Eren, he never met a challenge that he would back down from.

Sora nodded his head, "More or less...and he's kind of the linchpin for the group because the rest of us don't really have much in common."

"Why thievery? Most teens go into the military."

Sora seemed to hesitate on this question and sent a questioning glance at Vincent. Vincent paused for a moment before gesturing for him to continue.

"We all have our reasons," he started but there was significantly less mirth in his tone, "as for me," he pointed a thumb to his chest, "I wanted to join the Recon Legion." He said, surprising Mikasa.

Sora was the exact opposite what people pictured when they thought Recon Legion. People pictured the Recon Legion full of cool, calm and deadly people. Sora was loud, annoying and looked like he'd have trouble harming a fly.

He grinned slightly at her disbelief, "They couldn't take me because my depth perception is askew," he said as he pointed at his missing eye, "While it's gotten much better in the past year; it won't ever be enough to handle the fine art of Maneuver gear."

Mikasa eyes softened a bit, "How did you lose your eye?" she asked, sensing that there was a story behind it.  
Sora's hand went up and lightly touched the piece of cloth before saying, "Happened during the first breach," he started in a soft tone, his eye a million miles away.

"I, my parents and three sisters lived on a huge farm about a day ride from Shiganshina. Since we didn't have any neighbors for miles around, we didn't get word that the wall had been breached because people were too preoccupied with saving their own skins.

I remember I was just waking up when I felt slight tremors. At first I thought there was an earthquake going on somewhere before I realized that the tremors were getting stronger..." he paused for a moment, lost in the memory. His eye gleamed with emotion and sorrow before he continued.

"I ran down stairs, I was going to tell'm about it, but there was no one in the house. I thought that they could be out by the barn so I ran outside and that where I saw them..."

"The titans..." Mikasa supplied and Sora nodded.

"Yeah...there were three 15 meter classes and I was stuck on the spot. I couldn't think better yet move and I just watched as they got closer and closer...the next thing I know something grabs me from behind and that's when I started screaming," a light chuckle escaped his lips, "turns out it was my dad. He was in the stables shoeing a horse and my sisters and mother were out in the field and he's screaming at me to stop screaming and get on the horse."

_"Damnit Sora! Calm down! You need to get your mother and sisters; they're in the flower field! Now go!"_

"It took a couple of seconds but I finally stop screaming and I got on the horse while my dad...while my dad went to distract the titans...on foot. He gave me his horse and told me to go find the rest of my family.

Like my father said; they were in one of our flower fields, we would grow them for medicine, and just started screaming that titans had broken through the wall...they laughed. They thought I was joking up until they saw the head of a titan that was chasing me appear over the small hill I was on."

_"Jeez Sora, if you're going to make a joke then it should at least be believable...or funny!"_

Mikasa nodded slowly, she remembered the disbelief that titans had breached the wall very well. She remembered the panic and confusion of suddenly hundreds of people showing up. Some had thought it was a joke until they saw the terror that had been written on their faces.

"I raced down there and I realized that there wasn't enough room on the horses for all of us...," Sora breathed out shakily before continuing, "It was my mom, Rico, Lenalee and Mina. I guess my mom did the math too because the next thing I knew she had slapped the horses when Rico and Lenalee got on their horse and Mina got on mine..."

_"You're the man of the house now Sora! Take care of your sisters and stay safe!"_

"I'm ashamed of it but I don't think either of us tried to stop the horses," he said, his voice thick with emotion. He could count on one hand how many times he told this story and he had a few fingers left over to wiggle. He only told this story to people he trusted and he trusted Mikasa because Eren trusted her.

"We rode for hours but the titans were right on our tail; it was the three 15 meter classes that I saw in the beginning and a few ten meters classes joined in.

We were exhausted; none of us were experienced horse riders and the adrenaline was starting to wear off. We knew it was just a matter of time before either the horses gave out or we did and my sister Rico suggested that we split up."

_"We can't stay together! If we do then there's no way we'll make it! If we split up then maybe we can shake off the ones that do follow us. We'll meet up at the fountain that dad brought us to when we were kids!"_

"She didn't give me a chance to respond before her and Lenalee broke off and took half of the titans with them...she always did that. She would decide something and expect others to follow what she said.

Mina was crying, I was crying but we kept ridding. We didn't stop until we hit a small forest and it was there that we lost the big ones. It was too thick for them to easily break through and we took a small break to let the horse rest."

He clenched his hands as unwanted memories flooded in and Mikasa knew that they were approaching the end of the story.

"While we were resting, we didn't know that the smaller ones didn't have much of a problem making their way through the forest. My sister, she...she wanted to look for our other sisters, so I left for maybe five minutes before I heard a scream."

_'We should be safe here Sora...maybe we can find Rico and Lenalee? They would have thought to go in the forest too._

_Don't worry about me! Just find Rico and Lenalee; I don't want to lose them!"_

"I ran back, fell down half a dozen times, and when I arrived at the source...," the white haired teen swallowed thickly, "when I was gone a titan that just barely hit the two meter mark had snuck up on my sister," was all he could say as he reviewed the memory with the feeling of guilt.

"I was frozen on the spot; I just lost my entire family in a few hours and I think it just hit me as I watched what was left of my older sister get eaten. I couldn't move, I couldn't think...I...I was just so...cold...numb."

Mikasa silently felt the maroon scarf around her neck. She was all too familiar with the feeling. There was nothing like it; suddenly being alone in this cruel yet beautiful world.

"I just stood there...I think I was ready to die...no, that's not right," Sora said as he rubbed his palm against his only eye, "I just didn't care anymore. My home was gone, my family was gone, I was alone and I just didn't have it in me to try to keep going."

Despite Sora's heavy tone, a light chuckle escaped his lips, "Well...I guess I had a little fight left in me because when the titan finished of my sister and turned his sights on me...I snapped."

_"You...You FUCKING MONSTER! I'LL RIP YOU INTO FUCKING PEICES!"_

"I got out my two inched pocket knife that my dad gave me and charged. The fight wasn't the stuff for stories to be honest."

"Not surprisingly, I got over powered pretty quickly. The bastard had me pinned to the ground; had a hand on my face and the other pinned my arm. How I lost my eye is kind of lame but when he was holding down my head, one of his finger nails had slipped and cut my eye open but I didn't care.

"I just screamed, kicked and stabbed widely...as he bent down to take a bit out of my neck; I ended up stabbing him in that bundle of nerves that Eren told me about on accident. The titan collapsed on me and I just started laid there. I didn't feel any sort of triumph; just guilt and loneliness before a little bit of hope found its way in the mix. I realized that there was still the chance that I still had two sisters and that was enough to get me back on the horse."

"Were your sisters there? At the fountain, I mean." Mikasa asked in her usual tone but there was an edge of hopefulness to it. Despite her short and tragedy filled life, she always loved a happy ending to any story. Perhaps it was because there were so few in reality.

Sora sighed heavily, "No, they weren't," he said as he turned his head to gaze out the window, "but I always go to that fountain everyday...just in case." Sora finished his tale and there was a short silence.

"Maybe the reason I don't talk that much is because you do enough for three people," Vincent commented casually from his seat.

Sora glared at the teen, "Do not! And after hearing me tear jerking tale, that's what you have to say?!" Sora said loudly but his tone lacked true anger. Mikasa quickly figured that they bickered like this often.

"Yes, you do; I think my ears may fall off. You made that story so much longer than necessary."

"How would have you told it, you dick?!"

"A titan stuck its finger in my eye."

Sora hmmphed and sharply turned, much like a pouting child, "That has no premise! It brings up more questions than it answers but it's your turn to tell your story. Do however you like 'cuz I ain't listening!"

Unseen to Sora, the corners of Vincent's lips tugged up in a small smile before he turned to Mikasa, "There are not enough jobs to work regularly and I have a little brother to take care of so I can't disappear for three years. Thievery is the best option; good cash, small risk of getting caught if your good at it," he said, already finishing his tale.

Mikasa nodded, grasping Vincent's situation and Sora scoffed, "You can't tell a story to save your life!" he muttered loudly but Mikasa decided to switch topic so she didn't have to hear Sora's ranting.

"What about Keneko," she asked, nipping Sora's rant in the bud.

Oddly, it was Vincent who answered, "Same as me. Not enough jobs to go around and he's not joining the military because he's the last of his clan."

Upon seeing the confusion in Mikasa's eyes, Sora continued for Vincent, "You noticed his skin right?"  
Mikasa nodded.

"Well, he's not the last member of his entire clan but he is the last member of his sub-clan. His clan were called the Chaktaw or something like that and they actually lived a fair distance away from the initial breach. They could have gotten away pretty easily if they tried."

"They didn't?"

Sora shook his head, "From what Keneko told me; his clan was really militaristic and believed in death over defeat. So they stood their ground...they didn't even have maneuver gear." Sora said with a sigh. It was always terrible to hear about a pointless death when the human race was endangered.

"The women and the men stayed to fight while they sent the ones that hadn't gone through the "warriors right" behind the wall...Keneko wouldn't talk about it but I can't imagine that they managed to put up much of a fight."

"So on the way back it was just him and one other girl, his clan was fairly small, but when he arrived in the city they had been separated by the chaos and confusion. He's been looking for her ever since because by their clans rules, he can only continue his clan if he is with a women from the same clan. Maybe he'll join the military after they find each other and pop out a few kids but until then he's just trying to make ends meet." Sora explained in a care free tone.

Mikasa nodded slowly; she felt a bit bad for the man. It was likely that the girl he knew was dead or a prostitute and he probably knew this. However, she knew from experience that one needed a reason to live on; to get up every day instead of wasting away.

Her reason was Eren and, by extension, his mother. They meant absolutely everything to her and there was no limit to what she would do to protect them and keep them happy.

Finding the girl and continuing his clan must be his reason.

"What about you beautiful? You know our life stories, aren't you compelled to tell your own?"

"Not really."

"But I wanna know! Eren wouldn't say how you two met and there shouldn't be secrets between friends; so tell me!"

"He saved me from slavery," Mikasa said simply, stunning the two. She already had Sora pegged as the type that would whine nonstop if he didn't get what he wanted and she didn't want to her that.

However, before either of them had a chance to respond to that cannonball; the buggy came to a stop.

"We must be here," Mikasa said as she got out of the carriage. Sora mouthed the word slavery at Vincent, who simply shrugged before they too left the carriage.

Eren and Keneko were waiting for the three. When they were all out and standing in a small circle, he made eye contact with all of them, seeing some nervousness but no fear in their eyes.

"Everyone know what they're doing?" The leader asked and received nods all around.

"Then get dressed and let's start this thing."

**Leave a review!**


	4. Chapter 4

"Mikasa...seriously? This isn't my first time doing this; it's yours. Are you ready for this?" Eren asked in a slightly exasperated tone. Mikasa had been fussing over him like a mother; asking if he had everything he needed, if he was mentally prepared for what their doing and tweaking his appearance so he looked better.

Eren and Sora both wore black dress pants with matching shoes and white long sleeved button down that was tied off with a bow tie. Their outfits were tailored made or the occasion so both men needed to look handsome for what they had planned and Mikasa believed that they pulled it off.

While Sora was handsome enough normally; some women's jaws would actually drop by the handsome teen. Despite only being 14, he looked much closer to 18 and could act like it if the occasion called for it.

Eren, on the other hand, looked absolutely stunning in Mikasa's opinion. His hair was lightly swept to the left instead of being parted in the middle and there was something about the outfit that set off his already beautiful eyes. Eren's eyes practically glowed in the dwindling light from the sun and shivers went down her spine every time he looked at her.

However, that didn't mean there couldn't be improvements.

"I'm just watching the carriage," she said somewhat bitterly as she straitened out Eren's collar, "your the one taking the risk."

"Mikasa, I'll be fine! Armin planned this out and his ideas always work. Even if it does go South, you know I can handle myself." Eren said as he brushed away his friends hands from his collar only to have them attack his hair.

Her eye's softened, she knew that was true but that didn't stop her worrying because she knew exactly what Eren would do. If this didn't go as planned then he'd stay behind and protect his friends. That's what he always did and she loved that part of him but she couldn't allow that in this situation.

If Eren was caught then it was unlikely that Eren would see daylight for years, if he managed to avoid the headsman. There was a bounty on the Robin Hood crew and a reward for any information on the identities of the members. So she wanted to make sure everything went perfectly.

"Just...please be careful," she murmured before stepping back. Eren didn't respond verbally but sent her a reassuring nod before turning to the other members of the group.

Vincent was dressed as a guard while Keneko wore rugged and stained clothes like most of the "slaves" wore.

"Everyone ready," he asked and received nods all around, "then get into position. You'll know when this thing kicks off."

* * *

"Who are you?" the guard at the back entrance of the manor asked as he examined the two teenagers dressed like butlers. Eren chuckled nervously, "Well...uh, you see we're the lady's replacement servants for tonight." He said as he rubbed the back of his head.

The guards eyes narrowed in suspicion, "Thats the first I've heard about this," he said as his hand neared the hilt of the sword he wore on his hip. Both the boys saw this and were quick to act.

"That's because she doesn't exactly know...you see, Jake and Míchael had a bit of a pre-party..." Sora started, using the information that Jeremy had so kindly given them. The two that they were replacing were both known to spend more than their fair share at the local pub.

The guard rolled his eyes and visibly relaxed, "Those two idiots! Everyone kept telling them to stop drinking before a job." The guard said in an annoyed tone before he shot the two teens, "So they got you two to cover for them at least?"

Eren nodded begrudgingly, as if he had better things to do, while Sora grinned like a fox, "Didn't take to much to convince me. I heard the lady of the night is quiet the cutie!" he said and the guard laughed.

"That she is, if I was a few years younger...Well, lets just say that I'm a bit jealous of you two. While your catering her; I'm staring at darkness."

Sora slapped the man on the arm, "Can't have that! Tell'ya what, If we get a break then I'll bring you something to drink. Could you keep quiet about Jake and Míchael though? Hate for them to lose their jobs 'cuz they always buy rounds when they have something in their purse."

The guard nodded eagerly, "Getting a free drink for keeping my mouth shut? You bet! Now go on in there before you two are late."

Both teens smiled as the walked through the door way. All was going as planned.

* * *

Vincent walked into the barracks, he had gotten through easily enough since he looked the part and used the excuse that the lord of the home brought in more help from his work force for tonights event. The guards at the front gate let him through without a hitch.

He scanned the room for his target and quickly found him. It was a young adult with short brown hair and a mustache; he was a funny looking guy and it wasn't in the good way. Narrow jaw, big ears, gap between his teeth and eyes that were a little to far apart; he wasn't going to be winning any beauty pageants.

As Vincent approached he heard his mark loudly complaining that he was being forced to stand guard by the nobles door and not standing guard at the party. Vincent knew why the man wasn't going to be shown; a noble would want to show off the handsome members of his guard. He himself had been assigned to the dance floor but he had other things in mind.

"Oi, you want to trade posts? I'm stationed at the ballroom." Vincent asked as he approached and pretended to fiddle with his boots, acting like he still needed to prepare.

The man looked surprised, "What? Why would you want to trade posts?! This is the biggest party of the year! Lord Soleman doesn't even throw half as big as a party for anything else!" the man yelled in an obnoxious voice.

Vincent's wince wasn't even fully faked, "I...uhh, had a little bit to much to drink and I'm feeling the after effects now. Standing around for the next six hours with a bunch of loud music and people talking isn't the best mix for a hangover." Vincent lied with a fake rueful grin.

When the situation called for it, he could be just as smooth as his white haired friend.

Understanding filled the mans eyes as he gave Vincent a toothy grin, "Haha! I hear that! Sure, I'll trade with ya!" he said in an excited tone.

Even though he was technically suppose to guard; sometimes a young lady would grab a guard to dance with. The man was hoping the same would happen to him.

Vincent grinned as he got the location of the nobles bedroom.

* * *

Keneko sat outside of the local bar as he sipped his mug full of apple cider. His part of the plan wouldn't start until the signal went off so he was killing time by reading a letter from their contact Jeremy.

_Dear Friend,_  
_I regret to inform you that I have still not managed locate your lost friend. She seem's to be more elusive than the most cunning of foxes or more well hidden than the most valuable of diamonds; however don't give up hope. I'm positive that my contact will turn up something soon!_  
_However it will be much more difficult to persuade them to give it their all if they are not properly motivated. I implore you to find incentive quickly for my contacts; otherwise they could move on._  
_Your friend._

Keneko rubbed his eyes with the palm's of his hands, as if he could erase the words from his mind with the action. Jeremy was his main, and only, look out for Honalu, the other last member of his clan. He gave him the majority of his illegal gains to the man for him to search for her but it seemed every letter he received had the same basic message.

That Jeremy hadn't found her and he needed more money to continue the search.

Keneko honestly couldn't tell if he was being duped or Honalu was simply that elusive. While he could call Jeremy out if it was the former; he was afraid it might anger him if it turned out to be the latter. Without Jeremy, he wouldn't have a clue where to search for her.

Keneko let out a long sigh before returning the letter into his pocket as he waited for his part to begin; silently hoping that the score was big enough so he could pay Jeremy yet again.

* * *

Mikasa sighed from her position inside the carriage. She still had hours until the boys would returns and when she wasn't worrying about Eren, she was bored out of her mind.

"I need to bring a book next time," she murmured to herself as she as she propped herself up against the wall. While sleep was tempting, her job was to guard their get away ride and that's what she was going to do.

* * *

Eren stood on the left of the noble's daughter while Sora stood on the right, the white haired teen held a pitcher full of high quality wine for it was his job to make sure her glass was never empty. Eren on the other hand, stood by her side with his hands griped behind his back. It was his job to make sure the lady of the nights plate was never clean and he would get whatever she desired.

Jem, the lady of the night, had been puzzled by her two new attendants but quickly brushed away her confusion. While Jake and Míchael were handsome, the two new men were not only handsome but exotic!

One with glowing green eyes and the other with hair white as snow! What was a better way to celebrate her 16th birthday than with two exotic men?

Jem took a sip from a sip from her wine before holding her hand out for Sora to fill her cup. As the teen did, she flashed him a dazzling smile. The rumors were true in Sora's opinion. The lady of the night was beautiful; blonde hair, tan skin, hazel eyes, it was almost a shame that they were here to rob her family blind.

"Tell me...?" she started and Sora quickly realized what she wanted, "The names Sora Brzenska milady," he said, sending her a dazzling smile of his own.

Jem smirked lightly, thinking that an exotic name suited the teen, "Tell me Sora, how did you lose your eye? It seems like such a shame you lost one of those beautiful blue jewels!" she said in a flirty tone.

Instead of the sadness that filled Sora's remaining eyes, mirth filled it.

"Ahh, ti'ss such a story my dear! For I lost my eye in a fierce battle with a titan!" he said in a loud whisper in her ear.

Excitement filled Jem's eyes, he had to thank her father for hiring this treat!

"A titan?! Really?"

"Why of course! How could I lie to a pretty thing like yourself! It was a year ago; their was a little girl and a fifteen meter titan..." Sora started his false tail and Eren tuned the two out. Sora's story changed every time he told it; only a few knew the truth.

He examined the room with interest. The dance floor was rapidly filling up with nobles and their guards; several tables were full of important clans and other nobles that came for the occasion.

It was almost time to get this thing started.

Eren caught the eye of Sora minutes later and gave a slight nod, Sora didn't responded other than going to fill Jems cup but the pitcher didn't have a drop left in it.

Jem blinked in surprise as she looked down at her half full glass with half lidded eyes; unknown to her, Sora had drugged her last cup and had poured the rest of the wine in the plant almost a foot away from them.

"Would you look at that! Guess I was so entrapped in my story I forgot to grab a full pitcher! I'll be right back my lady." Sora said as he walked by Eren and gave him a wink, showing that things were going as planned.

"Hurry back! Becaush I want to hear about the orpahnsh you saved!" Jem called out after the white haired teen, her words slightly slurred in her intoxicated state. Sora just turned around a waved before continuing on his way.

Jem looked down at the dance floor and felt the overwhelming sense of power. These people were all here for her! They came to this party because it was her birthday! She felt so loved and important as she smiled down at the nobles at her party.

She noticed something.

None of them were looking at her! They came to her party to celebrate _her_ birthday! So why weren't they paying attention to her?! Sure the occasional pretty boy had asked for a dance but that wasn't nearly enough! It was her birthday, she should have a line of pretty boys wanting to dance with her!

Her smile slowly dropped and her face became and impassive mask before a rage consumed snarl formed.

"Why aren't they looking at me?" she asked in a small, quiet and upset voice before she asked the question again.

"WHY AREN'T YOU LOOKING AT ME?!" Jem screamed, effectively silencing the entire room. The music stopped, people stopped dancing and stared at the lady of the night.

"IT'S MY BIRTHDAY AND YOUR NOT PAYING ME ANY ATTENTION!" She continued to scream as she stood. Her father, who was seated a few feet away, tried to bring her down but she would have none of it! These fools needed a reminder of why they were here!

Jem stood on the table and then over it, not caring that she ruined her beautiful dress, before she went on the dance floor, "I HAVEN'T DANCED ONCE TONIGHT!" Yelled as she held out hand as if they all should jump to grab it.

Everyone stared at the Jem with slack jaws and wide eye's, they had never seen a lady of court act in such a manner! It was simply unheard of!

Off to the side, Sora had the overwhelming feeling that he had dodged a bullet. The drug he had given her removed her inner restraints and made her more susceptible to alcohol. This was her honest to God personality.

It was Eren who broke the silence, "SHE HAS BEEN POISONED!" He yelled as he lifted her wine glass. A gasp rang out but before anyone could question how he knew that Eren pointed to a random noble, "YOU DID IT! I SAW YOU WITH THE DRUGS!" He screamed as he punched the noble in the mouth. As expected, his guard retaliated with a blow of his own but Eren ducked under it so he punched another noble.

Soon a brawl broke out.

Guards were fighting guards, nobles were fighting nobles and ladies were fighting ladies. Off to the side, Jem was hysterically screaming because a glass of wine had spilt on her, she thought she had been stabbed. It caused others to scream and holler curses and threats.

Eren slinked back from the chaos and made sure no one was looking when he walked up stairs.

* * *

Vincent stood his post at the noble door way. Some other fool stood with him, he complained nonstop about how it was unfair that he had to stand guard on a night like this.

Vincent could only sigh and grunt in agreement as he hoped the second stage would kick off soon. He felt a migraine rearing it's ugly head if this fool didn't stop talking.

Then he heard it. The sound of complete chaos coming from the ball room.

Vincent looked at the other guard, "Go find out what that is!" he ordered in a urgent tone.

The other man looked at him in surprise, "But we're not supposed to leave this post no matter what! Lord Soleman is really picky about that." He said in a slow voice.

Vincent didn't understand why the Lord ordered that. It practically screamed, "I have something worth stealing in here!" to every thief.

Vincent nodded, "That's why I'm staying here; that way we're not breaking the rules," he said in a slow tone. The other guard seemed to think about this for what seemed like forever before he nodded, "Yeah, that makes sense!" he said as he took of running in the other direction.

Thank God for idiots.

* * *

Keneko looked up sharply when he heard the sounds of chaos. He had a very limited time to act for he had the most important job.

To make sure the workers wouldn't jump in the brawl and end it quickly.

Keneko shot up as he walked into the tavern, it was so loud out here that they couldn't hear what was going on outside. He looked for a suitable target and found one in seconds.

Most workers would spend what very little money they had to spend in here to drown their sorrows. They knew that they'ed never get out of debt so they didn't bother trying to save the money that they had earned. That made most of them angry, desperate and more angry.

Keneko stumbled and purposely bumped into the man and spilled his drink on him and made the man spill his own. He thought he would have to snap at the man to start another brawl but as soon as Keneko managed to take a step back, he was punched in the jaw.

Guess he forgot to add short tempered to the list.

* * *

Eren and Sora met up with Vincent who was already picking the lock to the door.

"Are things as hectic as they sound?" he asked as he withdrew his tools.

Sora nodded, "Yeah and then some! The birthday girl had quiet the pretty face for someone thats bat-shit crazy." He said with a grin.

"We can chat when we're not in the open guys," Eren said as he opened the door. Once all three of them were in the room he said, "We don't know where exactly he keeps the list of people in debt to him or where the money is. It's in this room though so just look for it," he said as the three began their search.

It was Sora who found it. Well, not really it, but he had been pulling apart the bookcase when he noticed that they had hinges on them. However, he couldn't pull it from the wall so he continued to pull books from the shelf, he found a hidden lever indented in the wall with a small number lock.

"Oi, found something!" he said in a stage whisper as he took a step back to let Eren examine it.  
Eren examined the lock thoroughly. It couldn't be picked and it couldn't be broken because of the angle it was in the wall. The only option's were to break the bookshelf, which would announce that they were here and take up to much time, or to enter the combination...that they didn't have.

After several seconds of thinking about it; Eren found his answer. He dialed in the nobles daughter's birthday date; if he loved her enough to through this insane party then he might have used her birthday as the combination.

Eren's hunch was proven correct when the lock clicked off.

"And that's why your our leader," Sora said with a nod, knowing that he'd never guess the combination. Vincent grunted in agreement as he swung the shelf to the side and reveled a small room barley bigger than a broom closet.

Inside was a chest and on top of it was a stack of papers tied together.

Eren grinned as he picked up the list and walked back out, so Sora and Vincent could move the loot, and immediately began reading to see if it was what he thought it was.

"Jack Barron-seventy silver, Carol Everdean-one gold, Joseph Walker-ninty silver..." he muttered under his breath as he confirmed that this was a list of people that were indebted to Lord Soleman!  
However, that was just the first few pages.

As Eren reached the last few pages, the names that were written out had different things added to them. All had attributes; hair and eye color, height, weight, measurements for girls and men. Some were circled while others were crossed out. All of them had sums of money next to them.

Eren knew exactly what this was and he felt like he was going to vomit.

This was a list of people he was looking to sell.

Swallowing back vomit, he held the list of names over the candles edge and felt the since of justice as the paper caught flame. He watched the list burn with a satisfied grin on his lips before he dusted his hands of ash when it was done.

"I took care of the...what the fuck?" Eren said as he turned around and looked down at the contents of the chest. Like him, Sora and Vincent were staring in awe at the chest.

It was full of_ gold_.

"I think our host may have his fingers in than just more than debt." Sora said in a flat tone. He had never seen so much money in his life.

"Yeah...I just burnt a list of people he's sold..." Eren said in a sorrow filled tone. The two others head's snapped to him, "So the fucker is a slaver?" Sora said in a dangerous tone. Eren nodded, "Yeah, it was just a list of name though. It didn't say who he sold them to. If he's made money like this in that trade than he knows not to write those things down."

"I feel significantly less guilty for taking this bastards money now." Vincent said as the three pulled out the sacks that they had on their person and began filling them. They almost laughed when they didn't have enough room and had to use one of the nobles pillow cases'.

Eren opened the window and looked down at the one story drop. However, instead of seeing just grass, he saw Keneko with a small wagon that would serve as their transport to their get away ride.

"Hey, Keneko; hope your ready for a work out. We didn't have enough room in our bags," Eren said in a loud whisper and Keneko grinned, understanding what Eren meant.

Sora and Vincent hung out the window, both holding out their overflowing sacks full of gold and handed them down to their friend. Keneko had stumbled slightly from the weight of it but quickly set the gold down silently before repeating the process three more times. When they we're done, Sora and Vincent jumped down.

As the three covered the sacks with bags of produce, Eren looked around the room.

_'Just taking this fuckers money isn't enough for me,'_ he thought to himself as he gave into impulse and tipped a candle over. He went and closed the hidden door and replaced the books as an added measure before he jumped out the window and rejoined his friends.

But before he closed the hidden door, in his neatest handwriting, he left a note saying, "The Robin Hood Crew was here," inside the chest.

Eren thought that was quiet funny.

* * *

The group were nearing their true get away ride and they could barely contain there excitement.

"This is fucking gold!" Sora said in a disbelieving tone. In places like Trost, people went their entire life without seeing a single gold coin and they had more than what to do with. Even when they payed back the people that were enslaved by the noble, they still had more money than they'd know what to do with.

"Say it louder why don't you?" Keneko hissed but he reflected what his friend was saying internally. With his share, he could afford to look in every crevasse of this wall for Honalu!

Sora grinned, "Be grateful, I feel like screaming for the world to hear." he said as he threw his head back and whooped loudly.

"So I did the math; each bag is worth maybe five hundred to a thousand gold pieces each. In one bag, that probably more than the sleaze bag took from the people. We give a bag to the workers, hand out half of another to several charities and keep the other two and a half for ourselves." Eren said, thinking that was the best option.

The other three nodded, even if their share was reduced, they'd be set for life and the next one if the spent it wisely.

"Well, that's awfully kind of you," a new voice said from in the branches above them.

The groups heads snapped up while they covered everything but their eyes.

Eren's eyes went wide when he saw the uniform the speaker was wearing.

It was the Military Police!

"I must say; that was a very thought through plan. You got in clean enough and got out without a hitch, I'm very impressed. I think you would have gotten away clean if it weren't for the anonymous tip off that we got." The man said as he jumped down in front of the wagon. Eren noticed that he wasn't wear 3D gear, so that was a relief.

"It was fucking Jeremy wasn't it?" Sora said with his hand still covering his face. When the man didn't respond, he took that as a confirmation, "I fucking knew we shouldn't trust that sleaze ball! Only assholes are named Jeremy!" Sora said, anger dripping in his tone. He wanted to tear that fat tub of lard's throat out with his teeth.

"That's a groundless statement," Vincent said in a calm tone that didn't betray the panic that consumed him.

"Speaking of name's, I don't suppose you'd give me yours? The tip of wasn't exactly specific." The man said, imparting much more information than he should.

Eren's mind was reeling; he didn't know their names and by the way he was speaking he didn't think they knew about Mikasa. Eren was struggling to come up with an escape plan; that was normally Armin's job and he had no idea what cards the Military Police held.

_'As long as they don't have 3D gear then there's hope,'_ The younger leader thought. Until he knew what they had on them, no plan could be trusted to work.

"That depends," Eren responded, "we could tell you our names but you'll lose your chance to name your price."

The mans lips twitched, "While it certainly is a tempting offer, I'm afraid I have to refuse. It wouldn't be fair to my friends," on que the sound of guns cocking could be heard.

Eren, despite the situation, felt a small flicker of hope. If they were using guns than that meant they probably didn't have 3D gear.

In the darkness, Eren made eye contact with his friends and they all gave him a small nod, "Well, that certainly is a shame," was all the warning that he gave before they all sprung into action. They all grabbed a bag and jumped over the side of the railing in front of them and onto the two horses pulling the wagon.

Shots rang out around them but they all missed, guns were known for their inaccuracies and misfires.

Eren and Sora shared a horse while Vincent and Keneko shared the other one. Sora and Keneko lead the horses while Eren and Vincent held on too two bags of loot.

They shot off onto the dirt path and rode at a breakneck pace. They could hear the police shouting orders and the sound of galloping horses getting louder by the second.

The chase was on!

"Fuck, we're so fucked!" Sora shouted as he failed to get the horse to gallop any faster.

"What do we do?" Keneko shouted to Eren who looked like he was panicking just as badly as he they were. They had never had any serious heat after them before and they were at a major disadvantage. While the Military Police had fine stallions, they had old mares that were carrying two people a piece and their belongings.

They were in the lead for now but they knew they wouldn't be for long.

_'What do I do?! Fucking think Eren, people are depending on you!'_ The leader thought to himself as he continually failed to formulate a plan. He had always acted on impulse before and never planned anything out other than joining the Recon Crops.

He was regretting that now.

However, unknown to him, he was not the only one thinking of a plan.

Keneko looked back at Sora, a question in his eye. In the darkness, Sora saw it and let out a deep sigh before nodding.

"Oi, Eren...," Keneko began, snapping the boy out of his panic, "...keep an eye out for Honalu for me. If you ever do see her, tell her that I'm sorry for leaving her alone."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Eren asked in shock, Keneko's words not really processing in his mind.

"I guess it's the same for my sisters...and when you join the Recon Corp's, be sure to kill a few titans for me!" Sora said in a happy tone as he looked back at the confused boy.

Suddenly it clicked in his brain and before he could do anything or say a word, he found himself falling.

Eren hit the ground hard as he rolled down the hill, the bags of gold were torn from his hands as he fumbled down the hill. Unknown to him, Vincent was saying his goodbyes before receiving the same treatment.

When he came to a stop, Eren laid there for several seconds. Had he just been abandoned? No,...those two idiots sacrificed themselves! What in the hell were they thinking? He would have figured something out!

As Eren began to stand, he shot back to the ground when he heard the military Police passing by at an alarming speed.

Eren felt terror sweep through him as he laid there. Before he knew it, he was softly crying.

He had failed again. Just like with the Wall of Maria, he had failed to protect his friends. He had swore to himself that he wouldn't let anything like that happen again but he had failed. Once again he was to weak, but this time it wasn't strength he lacked; it was the ability to lead.

"Damn it...God damn it,"

* * *

"Why?" Vincent asked as he watched his leader tumble down a hill.

"Because you two still have family to look after; you have something left to lose," Keneko answered.

"Take care of Eren for us, he's the type of idiot that's going to blame himself for our decisions. Tell'em that dying for a friend is one of the good ways to kick the bucket and that don't let this stop him from getting payback for the people. This worlds filled with assholes that take everything and give nothing, and the people need someone to get even for them. Eren's that guy." Sora said in a serious tone.

"I will," was all Vincent could say before Keneko had knocked him off the horse.

Sora and Keneko rode hard after that, putting as much distance as they could between them and their fallen friends. The further away they were, the larger the area the Military Police would have to look and that meant more time for their friends to get away.

Considering the sheer gap in the breeds of horses they were on, they put up a fair amount of distance before the Military Police caught up to them.

"So this is then end, huh?" Sora said as he looked at the Police hot on their heels.

"Yeah, I guess. Either we die here or spend the rest of our lives in a cell without a window...or there's execution I guess. That Soleman guy won't be to happy when he finds out we stole his savings." Keneko responded in a bored tone.

Incredibly, Sora grinned, "Don't fancy spending the rest of my life in a cell with your ass, so I guess it's execution or dying here for me."

Keneko grinned himself, "The feelings more than mutual...but we can't get caught. They don't know who's all in our little group and we can't let them find out."

Sora nodded, "So dying here it is then," he said in a tone that was typically used by a child deciding his flavor of ice cream.

The two men reared their horses and came to a stop before dismounting. They had reached a small hill that over looked a lake. Not the worst place to die in their opinion,

It didn't take more than a few seconds for their pursers to catch up to them, "Decided to turn yourselves in?" The man that spoke to them before asked. He did a head count and realized that a few of the thieves had gotten away, "Some of you at least." He remarked.

Sora grinned, "Nah, surrendering isn't really my thing," Sora shot back and Keneko chimed in with, "there is no greater dishonor than fleeing from a battle,"

The man looked taken back by that before he chuckling softly, "You must know that escaping or winning is impossible?" he asked as he got down from his horse and drew his sword. His comrades were doing the same.

"Ha! The only thing that can overcome impossibility is larger amounts of stupidity! Unfortunately for you, I'm the biggest idiot you'll ever meet!" Sora said proudly as he pulled out the hidden knife from his thigh, the same one he used to kill a titan.

Keneko chuckled as he did the same, "Couldn't have said it better myself," he said as he charged.

* * *

Eren laid on the cold dirt floor in complete silence, his tears had run dry and he knew he should start moving but he just couldn't bring himself to.

Again, he had failed.

He had spent the past year fighting to improve his skills to protect his family and the Wall of Rose...so why? Why did he fail again? He had vowed didn't he? That he'd never lose again!

It was just after he had woken up after the fall of Maria and he realized that hundreds, possibly thousands, had died because he couldn't stop the armored titan.

While this was on a lesser scale, Eren could feel the weight of people dying because he wasn't good enough on his shoulders.

The burden was heavy.

A sudden jolt sent him out of his depression, what if they find Mikasa?

Eren stood up, _'it's way past our deadline to meet up,'_ he thought to himself in panic as he took off running, completely forgetting about the sizable fortune behind.

He ran as fast as he could, blowing past trees in a blur, his only thought being to find Mikasa as soon as he could. He had to reach her before the Military Police did, at the very least he had to protect Mikasa. He had to protect Mikasa even it meant death itself!

Eren moved throughout the forest with speed and grace; most that ran at this speed with the dim light the crescent moon offered would have fallen a hundred times now. Eren couldn't afford to, his mind was replaying a horrible mental image of Mikasa being taken away in chains to where he'd never be able to see her again.

That thought terrified him.

So he blasted ahead at an almost inhuman level of speed, hell bent on either saving Mikasa before the Military Police got there or breaking the chains along with slaughtering anyone who tried to get in his way.

* * *

Mikasa stood silently outside the carriage, waiting for the group to return. There arrival time was long over due. She had a horrible feeling in her stomach that something terrible had happened and it took every ounce of her self restraint not to rush off looking for Eren.

She told her self that they were fine, that maybe a wheel had broke on their wagon on their way up. That they got lost in the poor light, that they were actually were on time but her nerves were warping her sense of time. She told herself all of these lies and excuses to prevent herself from moving from the spot.

Then she heard the sound of feet hitting ground.

Mikasa's eyes snapped towards the source; she angled her body from the source as she clenched her fist into balls. While her fighting skills were not on par with Eren's anymore, she could still hold her own. Even if she hadn't fought since before the First Breach.

What happened next was a blur to her. One moment she was standing ready to fight, the next she was flat on her back with a terrified looking Eren on top of her.

"Eren-" she started but was quickly cut off by a panicked and scared voice.

"Are okay? Did you see anyone, hear anything? Did anything happen Mikasa?!" Eren said as he stared wide eyed down at Mikasa. He had frightened himself with his thoughts as he ran through the forest.

Mikasa eyes narrowed in confusion as she took in Eren's appearance. His skin was red, like he had been exerting himself and his skin was uncomfortably hot; his eyes were bloodshot and the area around his eyes were splotchy like he had been crying.

What was more noticeable were his eyes themselves. They were wide and unfocused, filled with worry and fear but not for himself. Mikasa hadn't seen Eren's like this since he had killed the human traffickers that had tried to sell her.

A lump formed itself in her throat, for she knew something terrible had happened for Eren to be like this.

"I'm fine Eren, what happened?" she asked in a soothing voice as she rested a hand on Eren's wrist.

A tear drop hit her face, "I...I...I wasn't good enough! Sora, Keneko...their...," Eren said as more tears fell.  
Mikasa gasped but said nothing. She simply leaned upwards and embraced him; it had been that act that had shattered the last barrier that prevented Eren from breaking down. He sobbed and cried into Mikasa's shoulder; he felt so useless and powerless.

He thought he had become stronger in the past year but it wasn't enough. Pure strength wasn't enough of you were to stupid to think. He should have known that; he never should have let Armin do all the thinking for him.

That's why Sora and Keneko had died; because he tried to ignore that part of being a leader; one of the most crucial aspects of leading.

Mikasa held Eren as he sobbed, the last time he had cried was when the Wall of Maria had fell and it tore at her heart as she saw her savior like this. She wanted nothing more than to take away the pain and protect him but she couldn't. She wasn't strong enough to do those things.

_'I'll get stronger,'_ the two vowed to themselves, _'I'll get stronger to protect Eren/everyone,'_

Slowly, Eren's sobs became light sniffles before he lapsed into total silence. Normally Eren would be completely mortified that he was the one crying into Mikasa's shoulder but Eren was to worn out to felt anything but regret.

However, the silence didn't last long. Both of the teenagers snapped up when they heard the sound of jingling and foot steps approaching.

Eren readied himself, preparing for the worst but it was Vincent that emerged from the forest carrying four bags of gold, two of which Eren had forgotten about.

Vincent made eye contact with Eren and he cursed himself and his now deceased friends. What were the thinking? Letting a child lead them? One of them should have stepped up instead; if they did, then he wouldn't have to see the self loathing anger in the young boys eyes.

"Sora and Keneko are dead," Vincent said in a lifeless as he brought the bags to the carriage. At the very least, he wasn't going to leave her empty handed. He wouldn't let his friends deaths been for nothing.

Eren flinched, Vincent confirming what he already knew. He looked down at the ground but before he could apologize for being a failure of a leader, Vincent cut him off.

"It's not your fault. They made a call knowing the consequences; I'm sure they didn't regret it," Vincent said flatly as he loaded the gold.

"They wouldn't have needed to make that call if I-"

"Eren...it's not your fault. They wanted me to tell you not to blame yourself and not to give up this fight. People need someone to fight back for them, whether it's humans or titans, and those two were convinced enough that you were the man for the job that they died for it." Vincent said, still keeping his back turned to Eren.

Eren looked down at his trembling hands, '_They believed in me that much? They really thought that I could fight for everyone?'_ Eren thought disbelievingly to himself, "But...I wasn't good enough," he said softly.

Vincent sighed as he closed the doors to the carriage, he turned around and looked Eren in the eye before saying, "Then become better,"

Those words triggered a memory to scratch to the surface of Eren's concise.

_"Eren...I'm so proud of you, you saved so many people," Dr. Yeager began as he filled another syringe,"but it wasn't enough."_

_"You have to become stronger Eren, the fate if the human race rest on your shoulders and I'm so sorry for forcing you to bear it my son...but bear it you must. You must become stronger, faster, smarter...become better! Only then...only then can you save everyone..." Dr. Yeager finished as he plunged the syringe into his son_

Eren's hands clenched into a fist, _'I don't have a choice,'_ he realized but their was no bitterness in the thought. He now understood the burden he carried and he would carry it until the very end.

Vincent smirked as he saw fire roar in Eren's eyes once again; the boy was unbreakable. He turned to Mikasa and said, "You drive the carriage, me and Eren have to discuss our next step."

Mikasa nodded and took the reins while Eren and Vincent climbed in the back.

"So whats next boss? We have three life times worth of gold and hundreds of ways to use it."

"I'm thinking same game but bigger...," Eren said as anger and passion burned in his eye's, "much, much bigger."

**Sorry about the late chapter. It got held up by writers block and personal crap and me re-writing the ending like 10 times. **

**Originally Keneko was going to betray Eren but I thought this would develop Eren's character more.**


	5. Chapter 5

Eren's muscles screamed with fatigue. Every movement sent pain through his body but he ignored it. He panted for air; his breaths wet and heavy as he struggled to find good footing. Blood and sweat dripped from with every movement; his sweat seeping into his wounds and causing them to sting.

He struggled to find proper footing for the floor was slick with sweat and blood; it's source was mostly from others but a dangerous amount was from Eren. He dug his feet in, cutting through the sleek layer and dug his feet into the rock floor.

He raised his hands above his head, his hands in a fist and his fingers pointed towards his opponent; striking in a basic muay thai stance.

Muay thai had become Eren's favorite form of martial arts. It suited him perfectly; fast, impulsive and violent.

Eren breathed in slowly, trying to clear his hazy vision and ignore the black spots that littered it. His eyes focused on his current opponent.

Eren opponent was a fat man but not in a sickeningly way. He was a sumo wrestler, a type of martial arts that required the participants to be larger than average. However, despite the mans soft appearance, he had learned that there was a layer of muscle beneath the fat.

The heavy man chuckled, drawing Eren's attention to his face, "You finally realizing how pointless it is to fight against a sumo wrestler?" the man boasted. He did this throughout their fight and it was really starting to piss Eren off. He kept talking about how battle sumo's was the ultimate form of martial arts.

What pissed him off even more was the fact that his words carried some weight. Body shots were completely useless because of the layer of fat and muscle and because of their height difference, he could hit him in the face.

Eren scoffed, "No; just thinking that you're probably the reason for the food shortages tubbs." Eren said and heard the crowd roar with approval.

However, Eren could barley hear them. All he could hear was his heart beat pounding away in his chest as he tried to think of a way to win.

His thoughts were cut short when he was forced to dodge a palm thrust aimed for his chest. Eren dodged the surprisingly fast attack before retaliating with a fist to the stomach. However, as Eren expected, his blow was absorbed by the squishy fat. Eren tsked as he shot backwards to avoid another palm thrust.

"Just give up little boy; your to burnt out to win against me." The fat man said as greed gleamed in his eyes. Once he defeated this brat than he could only imagine high his reputation would climb. Not only would he become well respected but since he placed his life savings on himself he'd be swimming in gold soon enough!

Eren didn't shoot out a snarky comeback this time; he couldn't waste any strength. The man was right, he was miles past exhausted and the only thing keeping him standing was his stubbornness and pride.

_'What a cocky prick,'_ Eren scoffed in his mind, _'he wouldn't be this cocky if he was my first match.'_

Eren was currently fighting his 24th consecutive match.

It was his final day in the illegal fight circuit and Tony, the manager of the entire fight ring, had decided to throw a large farewell party for their undefeated champion.

25 back to back matches, all of the big names. Normally, Eren wouldn't have to much trouble with consecutive matches but these guys weren't one hit nacys.

Some of these guys where monsters and Eren had trouble with more than a few of them.

His first match for example; Jonathan the beheader. He was a six foot man with the muscle mass of an ox, scars covered his body; giving him an inhuman appearance. While that was frighting enough, what made him even more terrifying was how he beheaded his opponents.

He would, quiet literally, punch your fucking head off.

Eren had fought, and won, against twenty-four fighters of that level in a row.

So it was understandable that he was dangerously close to his breaking point. Had it been 24 chumps; he'd get a few bumps and bruises but with these guys it was like fighting a lion bare handed.

You don't expect to come out whole.

Black dots skidded across Eren's vision and he blinked rapidly to clear them but that had been a mistake. In the half second he closed his eyes, his fat opponent charged with surprising speed.

Eren tried to step out of the way but he reacted to late; a palm thrust slammed into Eren's exposed chest and he was sent flying backwards an into a wall behind him.

He fell to the ground in a heap as he coughed up blood.

_'What the fuck was that? I got _blown_ away?'_ Eren thought in shock as he forced himself on a knee, _'I was only a few feet from the wall but I still hit it with way to much force...don't tell me this guy...?'_ Eren though as he felt his stomach drop as he looked into his opponents eyes.

It was there he noticed the black veins in the mans eyes and the dilated pupils.

Eren tsked again, "black water," he muttered underneath his breath; cursing the drug.

It was exactly what it described; the drug looked like black water but it's effects were something to be feared. It removed the limiter of the consumers strength as well as acted like an extreme pain killer.

You could shoot someone that took black water and they wouldn't even notice.

That was also the drawback to the drug; you would go far past and didn't know it and then you died because of it.

It wasn't the first time he had fought against someone that took black water but those fights were always the longest and bloodiest.

Eren was far to worn out for a long match, even more so when you considered that he had another one after this, so he needed to end this quick.

Eren used the wall behind him to ease himself up on two legs and tried to think of a plan.

Normally, in this situation, he would force the opponent out of the ring or break so many bones that they surrendered. Because of the black water, the second option was out and the first one was unlikely.

That was because Eren wasn't fighting in a normal ring; he was fighting in the pit.

The pit was a 10x10 hole in the ground. It started out as a sink hole but Tony turned it to a ring. No matter what happened or what it was; Tony would always find a way to make a profit.

The bit pit acted as a cage, you couldn't leave until only one was standing. So the fights in the pit were incredibly violent and messy. Eren recalled one when they had to use buckets to clean up afterwards.

Eren sniffled a pain filled groan as he pushed away from the wall and raised his fists. However, before Eren could even raised his fists above his head, the fat man crossed the small distance between them and slammed another palm thrust into Eren's chest.

Eren hit the wall hard, his head slamming against the rock, and he crumpled to the ground. Eren's conciseness flickered like a flame as he forced himself to on a knee; Eren didn't even need to look up to see that his opponent was towering over him.

He could vaguely hear the crowed roaring; either approval at his long awaited defeat, or rage that they lost their bets on his pristine record. He could hear someone screaming his name but he did not answer. He could hear his opponent bragging and gloating but he did not respond.

The sumo wrestler glared down at Eren; this was possibly the greatest moment of his life! He had defeated the Eren Yeager! The fourteen year old punk that defeated entire gangs alone! The one that defeated big names left and right!

However, this brat wasn't even paying attention to his hard earned gloating! That pissed him off!

The sumo wrestler raised his foot, intending to stomp the child's life out, however something completely unexpected happened.

As the sumo wrestler's foot descended, it was stopped by Eren catching it.

Eren bit back a scream at the sudden burst of movement; his muscles screaming for rest. However, he ignored their pleas for he expected much more from them in the next few seconds.

"What are you-," the 350 pound man started to say but he was abruptly cut off as he realized he was being lifted.

Eren screamed a cry filled of determination, rage and pain as he lifted the fat mans full weight; the man was so confused that he couldn't even think to move or try to escape. Eren braced himself mentally, his muscles straining just hold the large man; but he wasn't done yet.

With another scream, Eren _threw_ the overweight man out of the pit, his muscles ripping and tearing loud enough to be audible for others. As the sumo landed outside the ring, disqualified, Eren to fell to the ground; his body no longer obeying his commands.

There was silence for several seconds, no one believing what they had just seen but when disbelief melted away; there were cheers louder than any Eren had ever heard. Everyone was cheering, excluding those that lost their bets; the conclusion to the match was completely unexpected.

No one had ever thrown someone out of the pit before; much less a 350 pound man!

While the crowed went wild above; one girl was silent as she gracefully jumped down the pit. She knelt down next to Eren's side, her eyes filled with worry and masked anger.

Eren opened his eyes as the girl gently lifted his head, "Yo, how are ya' Mikasa?' he said in an aloof tone, keeping as much pain out of his voice as he could.

Mikasa didn't comment on Eren's bravo, but said, "Your not fighting the last match," she stated as she slipped her hands under Eren's legs.

Eren hissed in pain as Mikasa lifted him; while it was an insult to his pride to be carried by a woman, he knew that he wouldn't have made it up on his feet anytime soon. As Mikasa carried him fully, Eren sighed out of annoyance, "Your mad." Eren guessed as she made her way to the ladder.

Mikasa paused before adjusting Eren so he was over her shoulder, Eren was doing his utmost best to not show that he was in the most pain of his life. As the two ascended, Mikasa whispered, as if she were talking to herself, "You were suppose to fight thirteen while I got the other half."

However, Eren heard her, "It's my last day here, I wanted to go out with a bang ya'know? Plus, that was before I saw who you'd be fighting." Eren said loudly but muttered the last part to himself.

Mikasa hummed at Eren's word's, not knowing to be touched by his concern or to be slightly annoyed by the fact he was underestimating her.

She choose the former as she climbed her way up the ladder; when they reached the top, they were greeted by Armin.

The blonde's blue eyes, darted to his bloodied friend, "Is he okay?" He asked nervously, however it wasn't just from seeing Eren all busted up; if anything he was use to seeing that.

This was Armin's first time actually attending one of Eren's fight's in a "official ring" and so far he couldn't say he liked it. Everyone here was blood thirsty and cruel; screaming at the participants to rip each other apart. His best friend just fought twenty-four monsters and looked like he was a light breeze away from death. Some guy in the corner kept eyeing him up like a piece of meat.

So no, this was not Armin's kind of place.

Mikasa nodded and Eren supplied, "Yeah, I'll just sleep this off...could you put me down now Mikasa?" he asked as he fidgeted. His pride could only take so much.

He was answered by her dumping him in a chair that was nearby, she wasn't trying to hurt him but she figured it hurt a lot more if she eased him into it.

Eren ground his teeth to suppress scream as the sudden jolt of motion before he still completely in the chair.

"You'll be fine...right Eren?" Armin asked as he took a chair next to his friend.

Eren nodded and focused on healing his torn muscles. If he focused than he learned he could speed up the healing process. However, he would have to leave his visible wounds alone for now.

Before Armin or Mikasa had a chance to be relieved, a loud booming voice rang above the chaos.

"Love him, hate him, but you gotta respect our champion ladies and gentleman! Twenty-four matches in a row; now does are champion have any more surprises left in him?" Tony said as stood in front of the crowd.

Tony was a sleek looking man; oiled back hair, goatee and expensive looking clothes. On each hand he wore solid gold rings, the gem in each varied but all were the size of a rock.

The three teenagers looked over at Tony and Eren could feel all eye's on him; eagerly awaiting for him to jump back down and rip his last opponent in half.

Eren sighed before he jabbed a thumb at Mikasa and the response was booming.

People hurled insult's at Eren; calling him a coward while many others were cheering to see Mikasa in action.

"Alrighty then! It seem's our champion decided to give us a treat before he leaves! We get see our little ice princess in action!" Tony yelled as the crowd roared with approval.

Eren ignored the insults, and the comments of Mikasa's looks, as he made eye contact with his friend and she looked back at him with determined eye's. After a few seconds, Eren nodded and mouthed for her to be careful and she nodded in response.

She took off her scarf, to prevent blood getting on it, and her jacket, for less motion restriction so now she only wore a tan button down. The crowed, yet again, roared with approval and Eren heard more than a few wolf whistles.

He made a mental note about that.

Mikasa, however, didn't even seem to notice as she hopped down into the pit; not even slipping on the slick rock floor.

Her opponent entered a few seconds later in the same way. As far as the monster's Eren had been fighting until now; he didn't seem like much.

Short blonde hair, almost to the point of being a skin head, he was tall with long arms and legs. He had average looks; he wasn't marred with scares but his nose had a bad break that prevented him from being good looking. All in all; he was the most normal looking fighter so far. Eren didn't know his name but dubbed him Stretch.

The two faced off; Mikasa just being an inch or two shorter than her opponent, and Tony began to speak again.

"This ladies and gentlemen is the final match for the night! This will be the last time we'll get to see our Hunter, Eren Yeager, and Ice Princess, Mikasa Ackerman! So burn this fight in your minds because after this; they'll be fighting titans!"

The crowed had mixed response's at that. Some were roaring with passion, others were booing because they didn't want them to leave, but the majority were silent. They simply couldn't comprehend why they were choosing to join the Scouting Legion.

"Without a further ado; let the last fight begin!"

As soon as those words were uttered; Mikasa's opponent sprung into action, throwing a quick jab. Mikasa bobbed to the left to avoid it and prepared to return the strike but she was cut short by her opponent letting loose a barrage of precise punches.

Mikasa tsked as she remembered that the pit was this mans specialty. Because of his long limbs and the limited space in the pit; this man ruled as king.

Most would think that you'd simply have to get in close, make his reach a burden instead of a blessing, but his fighting style prevented that. He kept you at a distance and wore you out until you were too tired to run. It was a ruthless style but Mikasa admitted it worked.

Eren watched the fight with a passive face, begrudgingly thinking that he'd be totally screwed if he had decided to argue that he could fight, while Armin looked down with a nervous expression. While he knew that Mikasa excelled at fighting, any everything else in general, to the point Eren acknowledged her skills but he was worried.

Eren noticed this out of the corner of his eye, "Don't worry so much Armin, Mikasa will be fine," he commented without turning. However, his words did little to comfort his friend.

"But Mikasa can't even get close to him! How is she supposed to win like this?" He argued.

Eren made a noise, somewhere between a scoff and a chuckle, "Just watch Armin; you going to find out that they don't call her the ice princess just because she's pretty."

Armin nodded and looked down just to see the three moves that would end the match.

Stretch threw a quick jab, trying to force Mikasa out of his comfort zone; she had been steadily getting closer and it made him nervous.

However, as his arm extended; Mikasa sprung into action. As the fist sailed past her face, she stepped forward while grabbing the back of Stretches fist. In one fluid motion she placed her other hand on his elbow and pushed.

A loud pop and ripping could be heard; Stretches elbow tearing free from the tendons holding it in place. An unanimous "ohhh" rung out from the crowed but not a sound could be heard from Stretch; he was in shock at the sudden and blinding pain.

However, Mikasa wasn't done.

Letting go of the mans arm, she raised a foot and slammed it into the side of Stretches knee, tearing it out of it's socket as well. Stretch fell to his knee's, still unable to make a noise, and leaned against the wall for support.

However, Mikasa still wasn't done.

Raising up her leg until it was even with her waist; her foot shot out, faster than any bullet, and collided with the back of her opponent's head; effectively knocking him out by his face smashing into the rock wall.

Armin openly gaped as the crowed went wild over Mikasa's sudden and ruthless victory.

"She's called the Ice Princess because she's fucking ruthless." Eren commented to his friend as Armin struggled to close his jaw.

* * *

"I can walk."

"Your still limping, walking will make it take longer to heal."

"Armin, back me up! Tell her I can walk just fine!" Eren demanded of his blonde friend. Armin looked at the two and stifled a laugh.

Eren was slung over Mikasa's shoulder like a sac of potato's. Eren was fuming, Armin could tell by the look in his eye's. It was almost like he was daring him to agree with Mikasa.

"You really should keep off your feet for now Eren."

"You fucking traitor!" Eren spat under his breath, and he heard Armin laugh in response. Eren could feel the smile tugging at Mikasa's lips due to the vibrations running through him from her chuckling.

Eren tsked but said nothing as he relaxed his body and allowed himself to be carried.

Mikasa wouldn't put him down until she thought enough time had passed for his legs to heal. He'd just have to swallow his pride for now.

"I can't believe tomorrows' the day..." Armin said in a excited but far away voice.

Eren grinned at Mikasa's lower back, "Yeah, tomorrow we join the military...Are you sure you want to join Armin?" Eren asked as he turned to look at his friend.

After the failed attempt to retake the lost wall, Armin had proclaimed he would be following Eren and Mikasa into the Scouting Legion. With the death of the last of his family, Armin had nothing to attach himself to his life before that Day; nothing to stop him from leaving.

Armin nodded with conviction, "I'm joining," was all he said but Eren knew he meant the words.

"I probably don't even needed to ask this but your not having second thought's, are you Mikasa?"

Mikasa shook her head, "I'll go wherever you go Eren." was all she said but the words caused Eren to shift.

She said thing's like that occasionally and it bothered Eren to no end. When she said it like that Eren felt like he was almost forcing her to join the military. He had asked her what she wanted a number of times however she never dodged the question. If she did than it was those infuriating 'I want what you want' or 'it doesn't matter to me.'

It was when she said those sentences; it reminded him how little he knew about Mikasa's inner workings. While that had gotten much closer in the past year, that was because Eren got use to her habits and didn't mind them as much.

Eren sighed into Mikasa's back before muttering about half-assed answers. Mikasa heard this but before she had a chance to respond; she was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Hello Mikasa, Armin, Eren's ass," Vincent said as he approached, hit tone as flat as ever. In the past year, he hadn't changed much. Same wild hair, same bored eye, same aggressive streak. Although, he didn't look like he would knock you out for kicks anymore; so there was that.

Eren leaned over and peeked over Mikasa's side, "Yo! Vincent, what are you doing here?" he asked while Mikasa nodded a greeting and Armin smiled at the man.

"Currently unable to have a serious conversation with you in that position."

"Mikasa, let me down now; my legs are fine."

Mikasa shook her head, "It hasn't been long enough," was all she said as she tightened her grip, making sure he wouldn't squirm out of her grasp.

Armin laughed while Eren cursed at Mikasa as he tried to get out of her iron grip. Vincent just sighed loudly, "I can't believe that your my boss," he commented as he stuck his hands in his pockets.

"Former boss. Your the head of the thieves guild now," Eren corrected as he looked up at Vincent. Mikasa had turned around to let the two talk face to face.

After the death of their friend's, Eren had dedicated himself to living up to their view of him. He chose not to abandon the fight to help the people but to fight with renewed passion.

Gone with the small time gang; Eren had created an empire within a single year.

He approached gang's he had defeated, they were already thieves and joined him easily enough once they saw a trunk of gold.

He approached shopkeepers, they acted as fences for their stolen goods. Most of them just wanted a few extra coins in their pocket for their families so they agreed easily enough.

He had at least a third of the military police in his pocket. It was so easy it almost sickened him; all he really had to do was wave a bag of coins in front of them and they agreed. No one in the MP's were trying to make a name for themselves so they stuck with the bargains they made.

Nobles were their main employers. Eren knew dozen's of them though he never met them face to face. Nobles were their main employer mostly because they had they coin to back up their greed, someone else always had something they wanted. They also bought protection for their homes and business from hoodlums and from the thieves guild itself.

However, Eren regularly broke those promises. All he had to do was claim that there was a rival gang and the nobles always paid them to take back the merchandise.

Repeat business is the best business.

Eren wasn't even sure what their numbers were exactly but he would place it a around 15% of the remaining population was somehow related to the thieves guild by either association or an active member.

However, unknown to everyone but a select few, Eren had a second reason to build his empire so quickly.

Protection.

He needed to become such a big name in the underworld that the double crossing Jeremy Homes wouldn't be able to make a move on him.

Jeremy Homes was a noble but that was recent in the past year. The reason that he worked with them in the past was because his lands had been taken with the first breach. He was trying to become important and gain the title of a noble again through underhanded methods and that was where the disbanded Robin Hood Crew came in.

However, the moment he got his foot in the door, he betrayed them. It wasn't personal but he couldn't allow a couple of punk thieves to be associated with him so he tried to kill them off.

Now Jeremy was a noble and Eren was the king of the underworld. Neither could take the other out without repercussions.

If Eren killed Jeremy than Jeremy would send people after his family, or at the very least make them fugitives. Jeremy couldn't kill Eren because Eren had made several flood gates of information about him burst open the moment he died so Jeremy's reputation and life would be ruined...if he wasn't killed.

So the two allowed the other to exist simply because they couldn't kill the other without being destroyed.

However, Eren had handed the mantle to Vincent so he could follow his original ambition of joining the Scouting Legion. While it was a bit risky considering he was in the middle of a cold war, he trusted Vincent to handle Jeremy in his own way.

Vincent sighed, "Still don't know why I accepted. I'm not exactly an inspiring fellow," he muttered while Eren shrugged.

Casting those thoughts aside Vincent spoke again, "To get back to your original question; I'm here to say my good bye's. I have crap to do now that I'm the boss so I can't see you off tomorrow."

Eren nodded, "I understand," he held out a hand, "your not the type to drink so I guess this will have to do," he said as Vincent took his hand.

"Try your best to not die, eh? Once the titans are done with I fully intend to give you back the crown back," Vincent said with a smirk. Eren let out a grunt of acknowledgment as he let go of Vincent's hand.

Mikasa took that as a sign that there good bye's were over and turned back around to say hers.

"Take care of Eren cat burglar," Vincent said in a light tone, making a reference at Mikasa's specialty. No one in the business was a quiet and untraceable as Mikasa.

Some of the scores she took were already becoming legends in the underworld.

Mikasa nodded with a small smirk, "Of course, he's my responsibility," she said as she too shook Vincent's hand.

Eren went unheard as he muttered that he didn't need anyone to be responsible for him.

"Armin, keep these two out of trouble, mainly Eren," Eren muttered a curse at Vincent for the comment, "your the only one with any real brains in your trio so put them to good use." Vincent finished and got a full blown smile form Armin and a glare form Mikasa.

"Don't worry about them; you be careful okay? Since Eren stepped down, there's been a stir in the underworld so someone will try to take the throne from you. Also, take care of your brother, he could become a target as well if people find out your related." Armin warned, using his leader voice.

Vincent nodded, already more or less knowing what Armin had said, "I'll be careful, I promise," he swore if not for his safety than for his younger brothers.

"Yeah, you better not die Vince! You and I are all that's left of the original crew!" Eren said into Mikasa's back but was loud enough for the group to hear him. Eren didn't count Mikasa because she only did one job with RH and that was the one where they lost Sora and Keneko. Armin didn't count either because he didn't count himself since he just made plans.

Vincent smiled lightly before turning away from the group, "Yeah, yeah; same goes to you! Though I think it's rich that the one that's in love with the thought of dying is telling me that," he said as he walked away, waving goodbye.

* * *

"God fucking damnit Mikasa! I. Can. Walk!" Eren bit out as Mikasa still refused to let him down, even though his legs were now more or less healed.

Eren couldn't take it anymore. He could handle it when they were walking from the hidden ring, he could handle it when they walked through the forest, he could handle it when they walked by the occasional farm.

However, he could not handle walking through the fucking city like a sac of food.

It was beyond embarrassing, it was beyond mortifying! He could feel his pride being chipped away with every girlish giggle he heard, with every disappointed look he saw in every mans eye, every child pointing at him and laughing.

Eren had never felt this emasculated in his entire life.

Mikasa shook her head, "I know how fast you heal; your legs aren't fully heal-"

"I don't give three fucks if their not fully healed! I. Will. Walk!" Eren said in a stage whisper; careful not to draw anymore attention to his humiliating position than necessary.

Mikasa caught Armin's eye, who nodded; thinking that Eren really couldn't take much more before he got violent. Mikasa sighed, she rather liked the feeling of Eren's body being pressed against hers. With a quick motion, she let go of Eren and he promptly fell to the ground.

Eren gave a yelp of surprise before getting on his feet, "see I told you I'm-" Eren started in a cocky tone but was cut off by him stumbling and him hissing in pain as he felt how sore his legs were. Before he could do anything about it, Mikasa grabbed his arm and threw it over her shoulder to keep him from falling.

Eren grumbled a bit before allowing the action. He had been so focused on being humiliated that he stopped the accelerated healing in his legs. Mikasa smiled lightly as she straitened out and the three continued home.

* * *

Home had changed in the last year. The Yeager family no longer stayed in the attic of a church all alone but with Hannes and his wife, Jessica. They had moved in with Hannes a few weeks after the failed attempt to retake the wall of Maria; it was actually the failed attempt that made the decision for Eren.

Up until that day he had planned to put his mother in the disabled home. It was full of people that were maimed by the titans in some way and could no longer provide for themselves like they did in the past.

It was run by the government; they knew how many were injured by the fall of Maria so they provided for them. They gave them shelter, food and water; everything they couldn't provide for themselves.

Eren thought the program was great; one of the best things that the King had done right in a very long time. However, Eren wanted to make sure it was the right fit for his mother so he spent a a lot of time there.

He got to know the inhabitants of the large building; he learned what kind of people they were, how they were injured, how the employes helped them and what kind of people they were as well.

He thought it was great; until he looked out at the army that planned to retake the wall of Maria.

Flashback

Eren raced up the stairs of some random building. He thought it was a tavern but he had ran past it so fast he couldn't be entirely certain but in the end he didn't really care.

He only had one goal in mind at the moment and that was to see the brave soldiers that were going to retake the wall of Maria off!

He had tried getting a good luck on the ground but it didn't work; everyone and their mother were out in the streets, doing exactly what he wanted to do. The crowds were so thick and packed together that he couldn't slip by and all the boxes and barrels were already taken to stand on.

This prompted Eren to go higher and thus he raced through the tavern at blinding speeds.

Eren busted through the door that lead to a balcony that overlooked the crowed. He wasn't alone, there were a few children up there with him but he paid them no mind as he looked at the brave soldiers.

_'I'll look for Armin's gramps_' Eren decided as he scanned the line of soldiers and he quickly noticed something.

There wasn't a single one of them that looked ready to fight.

They looked petrified, all of them from the oldest of men to the youngest of women. Fear consumed their expressions, filled their eye's, and rattled them to the bone.

They didn't look ready to fight, they looked like they were ready to run!

That thought hit Eren like a fist to the stomach as he took a closer look at the terrified men and women.

He realized that there wasn't a single one of them that were fit to be called soldiers.

There were men so old that they looked around them in confusion; as if they had no idea why they were here or what they were doing. He realized that they probably didn't, they were just forced here.

There were many that were missing limbs or eye's. Bandages could be seem on many as the were wrapped around stumps or people's eyes as they held their guns. Some of them couldn't even hold their weapon!

More than a few were messing with their sword or gun or cannon; testing the sharpness, or giving it light swings. Those with guns or cannon's it was glaring that they had no idea how to use them.

They fumbled with the carriages, fiddled with the ignition; some of them even looked inside of the barrels!

Eren fought the vomit that rose from his throat. These people really weren't here to retake the wall. These people were marching to die!

Eren gripped the railing hard as he struggled to calm himself; the children were giving him odd looks but he ignored them.

_'This is a culling,'_ Eren thought, _'this is a giant fucking mass culling!' _

Then he heard it.

People _cheering_! People screaming good luck and telling them to kick titan ass. None of them seemed to understand that these people didn't stand chance against the titans.

What good was a cannon if you had no fucking clue how to use it?!

Eren blinked as he fought off nausea; this wasn't right! These guys were going to die for _nothing_!

Eren's eyes focused at random, picking a person out by chance, and realized that he knew them!

It was Carol from the handicapped home! He was missing his right arm; what was he doing here? He saw Carol turn his head and said something to the person next to him. It turned out that Eren knew that person as well.

It was Janet Petunia. A woman in her early thirties that been blind since birth.

Eren let go of the railing as he stumbled backwards; his mind slowly connecting dots that he desperately didn't want connected. However, his mind denied his wishes as he drew the full picture.

That this whole "retaking the wall of Maria" was pure bullshit; that these people were being killed off because they couldn't contribute and that people from the handicapped home were here as well.

Eren took another step back before he fled from the balcony and down the stairs; the destination set in his mind. The children looked at his fleeing form before shrugging it off and continued to cheer for the hero's.

It didn't take long for Eren to reach the handicapped home. He knew the city of Trost like the back of his hand so he avoided all of the crowds. He was sure he saw Mikasa and Armin in an alley but he blew past them. He needed to confirm something he desperately wanted to be false.

Eren pushed open the door to the large building; hoping, praying that he was greeted with the smell of old people and them bickering with each other.

He was greeted with the smell but with silence as it's companion.

Eren took a few steps in the building and called out, "Hello?! Is anyone here?!" he yelled. Eren waited a few seconds before calling out again and waited for an answer.

Seconds turned into minutes and Eren realized that he was the only one in the whole building.

That was what pushed him over the edge and he vomited on the floor.

Flashback end

So after the extermination of the useless population, Eren had asked Hannes if his mother could stay with them. Hannes agreed easily enough and Jessica was overjoyed for her and Carla had been friends before the first breach.

There home was modest, it was similar to the house he lived in before the fall of the wall. Eren got an actual room to himself, though he rarely slept in it, while Mikasa and mom shared one.

The trio approached the front door, Eren now able to walk on his own.

Eren looked over at his blonde friend, "You want to say goodbye to mom?" he asked, though he already knew the answer. His mother adored Armin, saying he needed to be more like him in the department of thinking before doing.

Armin nodded before open the front door to their home, "Were back," he called out to whoever was listening.

"Welcome home!" Jessica greeted from the kitchen. She was making dinner; cooking his and Mikasa's favorites since it was their last night in this house.

In the morning they would off for three years and then they'd become titan slayers. Well, Mikasa and Armin would; Eren already had more than a few kills under his belt.

"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes," Jessica informed as the three teenagers filed into the dining room, Hannes already in his seat.

He looked up from his newspaper as the three took their seats, "Yo, where have you three been all day?" he asked in ignorance. The Yeager family had decided that it was best that they didn't tell Hannes that Eren was the king of the underworld. While Eren trusted Hannes, he thought the man was simply better off not knowing.

"No where really. We just walked around Trost since we won't see this place for years, ya know?" Eren answered for the group, the lie coming out of his mouth with practiced ease.

Hannes nodded, "Didn't get robbed? The Thieves guild gets pretty active once the sun starts to dip," he said and he was answered with shaken heads.

"Like they could rob us," Eren boasted as he crossed his arm's, thinking it was funny that they were talking about the empire he ran until a week ago. It was true though, some of the lower ranked member's had tried to rob him in the past because they didn't know who lead their organization.

That had been because Eren used dozen of aliases when he was dealing with different people. The first members knew who he was but after he got the ball rolling; he began using false names and messengers.

Only a handful knew that Eren Yeager, the king of the illegal fight rings, was also the king of thieves.

Hannes laughed, "I dunno, a few of them robbed a drinking buddy of mine a few weeks ago. Took everything he had on him; maneuver gear included," he said as he remembered the chewing his friend had gotten. In fact, the chewing was still going on; his friend had been demoted and put on cleaning duty until further notice.

Eren laughed nervously at that, though only Mikasa knew why.

In order to avoid an a slip of tongue, Eren quickly said, "I'll go bring mom down," and shot up from the table. Hannes and Armin blinked in confusion before dismissing Eren's behavior. Mikasa followed Eren with her eye's before listening to Hannes describe what basic training was all about.

Eren knocked on his mother's door lightly, "mom?" he asked through the door, making sure that he didn't walk in on something. It was a habit that started when he walked in on Mikasa changing.

"You can come in," Carla answered and Eren did. Carla was laying in her bed with her back propped against the headboard, in her usual position she could be found in most hours of the day.

"Dinners almost ready," Eren said as he approached his mother, getting ready to carry her down stairs, however she gestured to the chair next her bed. Eren sat in confusion and waited for what this was about.

"Eren...do you remember the promise you made to me? The one about your...talent." Carla began in a soft tone.

Eren's look of confusion intensified before he nodded.

"Repeat it to me."

Eren fidgeted in his seat before speaking the promise, "I promised that I'd never turn into a titan again; no matter the situation. Even...even if it's to save someone or myself." Eren repeated as he gripped the edge of the chair. That was the one promise he regretted making.

Carla nodded, "Eren...I know how much you hate that promise but you must keep that promise Eren." she whispered fiercely as she grabbed Eren's hand.

Eren opened his mouth to argue, that he should use his power to assist humanity but a tight squeeze.

"Eren, there is nothing in this world that's free. Nothing. Not power, not love, not life; everything in this world has a price tag attached somewhere and that includes your power Eren."

"Your power is amazing Eren, you can do things that no one else can but the price of that power will be heavy. Do you know how you pay for your power?" Carla asked.

Eren numbly shook his head no.

Carla took a deep breath and looked directly in Eren's eye, "Your humanity. That is the price for your power Eren. Titans...titans are monsters; you know that, you've been shouting about it since you learned about them. The more you use your power the more you will become like them; a mindless, bloodthirsty animal that can't discern friend from enemy."

"Mom, you don't know that-"

"I do Eren. If you don't become a monster that way than you will become one through the choice you will be forced to make. You will become a monster because you will have to give up your humanity in order to advance. So please Eren, please, never use your power again. I don't care if you never do another thing I say ever again; I refuse to have my only son become a monster." Carla whispered fiercely, squeezing Eren's hand so tight he knuckles went white.

"Promise me again Eren, swear you'll never use that power again."

Eren swallowed before he spoke, "I promise," he said in a voice just above a whisper. Saying the words that his mother needed to hear.

However, deep down; Eren knew those words were a lie.

**Here is the fifth chapter! Hope you enjoyed it but before you go there's a few things.**  
**1) My beta Xerxus Namikaze has been MIA for the last two chapter so I'm going to go ahead and start looking for a new beta and critique. So, once again, if anyone wants the job send me a PM.**  
**2) I'm planning on the basic training arc to be 2 chapters, three at the most, and then we get into the real story. Just thought you would want to know.**  
**3) Thanks for all the support so far and leave a review! They inspire me to write and that means faster updates!**


End file.
